Eureast Platform

Activities of the Eureast Platform and its knowledge centres in 2023

Eureast Platform

  • 2 March

EU institutions and decision making

At the request of the EU-project ‘Public Diplomacy. Russia.’ The Eureast Platform organized a seminar for Russian academics in exile. Prof. Fabienne Bossuyt en prof. Peter van Elsuwege hosted a workshop on ‘EU institutions and decision making’. The cooperation was very satisfying, and formed the basis for future close collaboration.

  • 9 June

EU Sanctions against Russia: Impact and Implementation Challenges

During this one day conference academics and professionals joined to discuss the judicial, political and economic impact of the EU sanctions aimed against Russia, specifically paying attention to the challenges of the practical implementation. The conference attracted a wide array of attendees, among which representatives of governmental institutions, EU institutions, embassies, NGOs, business and the academic community.

  • 17 – 20 October

Decolonial and Postcolonial perspectives on the Eastern (of) Europe

This lecture series, organized by CESSMIR with support of Eureast Platform, was part of the Ghent University Doctoral school programme, aimed to advance postcolonial and decolonial critiques from Central and Eastern Europe to overcome the epistemic dichotomy of West versus East, North versus South, which prevails in the Western academic canon to this day.

  • 12 December

Towards a new Belarus: a dialogue with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

On December 12th, 2023, the Eureast Platform had the privilege of hosting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian pro-democracy forces and head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus. She delivered a compelling keynote address on the current tense situation in Belarus, emphasizing the importance of defending core democratic values: “Fight for democracy is usually a long process, it is not a sprint, it is a marathon. You just have to believe in what you do without expecting an immediate result. The most important thing is to keep on trying”. It was an exceptional evening, conveying an important message to all of us about the virtues of persistence, courage, and decisiveness in the ongoing struggle for your own future.

CERISE

  • 7 November

Nuclear fusion: from Soviet breakthrough to ITER by honorary prof. dr. ir. Guido Van Oost (Ghent University)

In his lecture prof. Van Oost discussed the history of nuclear fusion, the ITER experiment and its most important product, the Tokamak magnetic fusion device. Based on a Soviet scientific breakthrough, the lecture zoomed in on the Russian federation’s historical role in the project, the delays caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the questions this raises for the federation’s reliability as a current and future partner in similar large-scale transnational cooperative endeavors.

  • 19 December

Russian language, Russian culture, and society post-February 2022

On Tuesday the 19th of December, 2023, the Eureast Platform Knowledge Center CERISE hosted a study day on ‘Russian language, Russian culture and society post-February 2022’. The aim was to provide a forum for exchanging perspectives, sharing experiences, and reflecting about current and future teaching practices, collaboration opportunities, and more within the realm of 'Russian studies'. The programme consisted of two round table discussions and four workshops focusing on Language, History, Literature and Culture, Media, Politics and Society.

Ukraine-plus

  • February – March

Exposition Stand with Ukraine

an international exhibition of anti-war posters in commemoration of the 1 year anniversary of the war in Ukraine in the faculty library of the arts and philosophy department. After the war broke out, the Association of Graphic Designers (‘the 4th Block’) issued an open call for graphic designers and artists from all over the world to design posters against the war in Ukraine. One year later, the collective already collected more than 1,500 posters from 56 countries and the collection is still growing every day. This collection was the basis for poster exhibition organized under the name 'Stand With Ukraine'.

  • 22 February

Russia’s Necropolitical Sovereignty: from Border Transgressions to War

On 22 February, the newly established Eureast Platform's Knowledge Centre on Ukraine and Eastern Europe 'Ukraine-plus' hosted its opening event featuring prof. Andrey Makarychev (University of Tartu) and prof. Vjosa Musliu (VUB).

  • 19 April

A Conversation with Valery Kavaleuski, Deputy Head at the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus; Representative for Foreign Affairs, Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

The focus of the event was on the current state of the anti-authoritarian movement led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, their institutionalization efforts, as well as their relationship with the European Union (EU). Mr. Valery Kavaleuski shared his insights on the political crisis in Belarus following the 2020 “elections”, as well as the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on the pro-democracy movement of Belarus.

  • 10 May

Expert Knowledge in Times of Crisis, Uncertainty and War: Looking beyond the “Global North” by dr. Vera Axyonova (University of Vienna)

In this research seminar, dr. Vera Axyonova drew on the findings of her research project 'Expert Knowledge in Times of Crisis – Uncovering Interaction Effects between Think Tanks, Media and Politics beyond Liberal Democracies'. She took us along in the process of disentangling the origins and contents of crisis related expert knowledge, its communication channels, and use in policymaking beyond political environments of the "Global North". To whom do politicians and other decision-makers turn for guidance when they are in need of specialized expertise? How do they use (and misuse) expert knowledge in times of crisis? How much influence do individual experts and expert groups have on political agendas and societal developments? Finally, how are experts themselves affected by high uncertainty?

  • 22 May

Milestones Toward an Independent Ukraine, 1944-2022 by prof. David Marples (University of Alberta, Canada)

The lecture of prof. David Marples, a distinguished professor at the University of Alberta, explored the various expressions of Ukrainian self-assertion and their aspirations for independence and democracy since the end of World War II. His lecture also touched upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which poses a threat to Ukraine's aspirations and its future as an independent nation, while at the same time sparking unity among Ukrainians and reinforcing their desire to become a member of the European Union.

  • 31 May

One Year of Russia’s Full-Scale War against Ukraine: How can a Ukrainian victory be achieved?

During this round table a group of experts from the think-tank "Ukrainian Prism" provided their analysis on the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on EU-Ukraine cooperation, including military, financial, and economic support from Brussels, while also highlighting the shortcomings of European policies. They discussed the ongoing war, military assistance, reforms, sanctions, and countered Russian disinformation, aiming to assess the path to a Ukrainian victory and the establishment of lasting peace in Europe.

  • 14 June

Russia’s War against Ukraine and the Arctic by prof. Stefan Kirchner (University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland)

The lecture examined climate change in the arctic and its connection to Russia’s sense of security and its connection to and effect on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

  • 15 November

Ukraine and the Global South: The Ambiguities of a Postcolonial Perspective by dr. Yuliia Kurnyshova (Universities of Ghent & Copenhagen)

During her Lecture, dr. Kurnyshova explained how, in the onset of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has been actively utilizing the trope of a postcolonial struggle in its external strategic communication, and how this impacted the country’s relations with the global south. Cooperation of Ukraine-plus with GIES, the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies

  • 7 December

The War of Values: Political homophobia and instrumentalization of LGBTQ+ rights in Russia’s war against Ukraine by dr. Maryna Shevtsova (KU Leuven)

During her lecture, dr. Maryna Shevtsova extensively discussed the issue of political homophobia and instrumentalization of LGBTQ+ rights in the case of Russia’s war in Ukraine that started in 2014 and culminated with the large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Her findings were based on the analysis of Russian and Ukrainian media and official statements of government officials.

Viae Caspiae

  • 15 May

The maritime in the landlocked. The position and role of seas in the modern shaping of the Caspian-Central Asian region by prof. Bruno de Cordier

The lecture of prof. De Cordier provided us with insightful knowledge about the 'inland seas' (the Caspian and Aral Sea), a region hardly ever associated with maritime matter. The role these two massive bodies of water continue to play in shaping cultures, livelihoods, economy and urban development of the Ciscaspian and Central Asian region is nonetheless undeniable.

  • 29 June

The EU and Central Asia interactions: perceptions, interests and practices with Fabienne Bossuyt (Universiteit Gent), Shairbek Dzhuraev (Crossroads Central Asia) and Paolo Sorbello (Vlast.kz)

This roundtable zoomed in on the many aspects of the interactions between the EU and Central Asia since the early 1990s. It posed question about the interdependency of both regions and whether Central Asia can be an alternative supplier of energy amidst the ongoing European energy crisis.

  • 10 October

Dealing with the biodiversity crisis in the Black and Caspian Sea region: lessons from the geological past for the near future by Frank Wesselingh (Naturalis Biodiversity Center)

Even though extinction and loss of biodiversity are popularly associated with photogenic animals as the tiger or the elephant, Mr. Wesselingh argued in his lecture that at the same time hundreds of lesser-known unique species have been silently disappearing in the Black and Caspian sea region. Emphasizing the urgent need for effective measures to safeguard the region’s unique plant and animal life, he offered insights in how we can draw lessons from the past to find solutions for the current biodiversity crisis.