International Summer School 2018 Polesia as a Landscape of Intervention

Organisers: Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe - Institute of the Leibniz Association, in cooperation with Polessky State University, Pinsk (Belarus), and National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) (Ukraine)

Venue: Kyiv – Pinsk (Belarus) – Varaš /Kuznecovsk (Ukraine) – Kyiv

Date: 11 – 21 September 2018

Language: German, English. A knowledge of Russian, Belarussian or Ukrainian is an advantage, but will not be expected.

Target Group: PhD candidates/ scholars who hold a first degree. Open to all fields of study. In particular, it is suited to enthusiasts from the areas of historical science, Slavic studies, social and economic science, ethnology, geography, environmental science as well as land-use and environmental planning.

Call for Papers:

Polesia, a natural and historically distinct landscape [Belarusian: Палессе Paliessie, Ukrainian: Полісся Polissia, Polish: Polesie, Russian: Полесье Poles'e, „woodland“, „land near the forest“] is a region which encompasses one of the last large marshlands and alluvial forests in Europe. It is located on the border of Belarus and Ukraine. During the 20th century, human intervention transformed the region´s landscapes and living environments fundamentally: Polesia witnessed the destruction brought on by two world wars, genocides, and far-reaching attempts at centralization and modernization by various ruling powers. Since the 1930s, continuous efforts have been made to drain marshlands. Since the 1970s, the Soviet Union has made plans to transform the Ukrainian part of Polesia into an energy landscape. To that end, it constructed three large nuclear power plants and the necessary infrastructure. One of these plants, Chernobyl, has become the symbol of a modern “risk society” with its inherent technological risks throughout the world.

During the summer school, the organizers want to take the participants and experts from Belarus and the Ukraine with them on an investigative exploration through Polesia, experiencing the region together as a dynamic ecological, political, socio-cultural and economic space. In three different locations, the group will explore examples of how key historical protagonists interacted with the landscape and dealt with geographical space: Pinsk in the Belarusian part of Polesia, Varaš/Kuznecovsk in the Ukrainian part, and Kyiv.

The summer school offers lectures, excursions and practical seminars. Prior to the start of the trip, participants will receive a comprehensive reader containing literature relevant to the main topics.

For further information please visit our website: https://polesiasummerschool.wordpress.com/

The final date for applications is 15 June 2018!