Author Meets Critics - Navigating Cultural Memory
July 15, 2025 | 10:30 - 12:00
Tea Sindbaek Andersen, Susanne Buckley-Zistel, Ruramisai Charumbira
Moderated by Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong
This round table explores the evolution of the master narrative and hegemonic memory narratives in societies recovering from genocide, war or mass violence. Drawing on the three categories of Champions, Antagonists, and Fatalists advanced in Navigating Cultural Memory: Commemoration and Narrative in Postgenocide Rwanda (Oxford University Press,2023), the session will interrogate how official narratives shape memory and belonging. Panellists and audience members will discuss how these narratives are contested, reinterpreted, and reinforced by different actors, including ordinary citizens. Participants will also draw on different case studies, including those from their own research. It will also discuss different methodologies used in memory studies in the global south contexts.
Practising Memory: Perspectives from the Field in Czech Public Space
July 15, 2025 | 10:30 - 12:00
Pavlína Šulcová, Tereza Štěpková, Magdalena Benešová, Jakub Novosad
Moderated by Petr Sokol
This semi-plenary session explores how memory is actively constructed, challenged, and sustained in contemporary Czech public space. Drawing on direct experiences from the field, the discussion brings together practitioners working across education, activism, site-specific memorialization, and media. Rather than focusing on theory alone, the session highlights applied practices, field-based challenges, and the evolving role of memory work in shaping public discourse and civic identity. The aim is to foster a grounded conversation on how memory is translated into action in diverse societal contexts.
Beyond Crises
July 15, 2025 | 10:30 - 12:00
Jie-Hyun Lim, Dovile Budryte, Irena Kalhousová, Igor Blaževič
Moderated by Valeria Korablyova
This semi-plenary session brings together scholars based in, or working on, Europe's East to examine the epistemological challenges and political reverberations of contemporary wars. Rather than essentializing the region or confining analysis within its geographical boundaries, the roundtable uses it as a vantage point to investigate diverse mnemonic entanglements, shaped and intensified by ongoing military conflicts. Drawing on concepts such as affective solidarity, victimhood nationalism, mnemonic security, emotional regimes, and civic empowerment, this discussion explores the ethical implications of engaging with both highly visible and less mediatized conflicts. The session invites critical reflection on the responsibilities of memory scholars when local memory becomes a terrain of global significance.