Organisers


                                                                                       




Charles University

Charles University, one of the oldest universities in the world, is the largest and highest-ranked institution in the Czech Republic. With 17 faculties, the university is not confined to a single campus but is instead spread across Prague and beyond. The Institute of International Studies (IIS) is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University in Prague (FSS CUNI), the main organizer of the 9th annual MSA Conference. FSS CUNI was established in 1990 to address contemporary societal needs. The current structure of IIS has evolved over time, notably through the deliberate creation of the Area Studies as a research field. This development has been driven by the growing demand from students and the urgent need to fill a gap in the study of area studies, which plays a crucial role in shaping Czech foreign and domestic policy.


Czech Academy of Sciences

The Czech Academy of Sciences is the leading non-university public research institution in the Czech Republic. It is composed of 54 public research institutions specialising in various subjects in the natural, technical and social sciences and the humanities. The primary mission of the CAS and its institutes is to conduct highly specialised or interdisciplinary research to advance developments in scientific knowledge at the international level while also considering the specific needs of both the Czech society and the national culture. Two of its institutes, Institute of Ethnology (IE CAS) and Institute of Contemporary History (ICH CAS), participate in the organization of the 9th Annual MSA Conference in Prague.






Local Committee


Kateřina Králová

MSA Prague Program Committee Chair and Local Organizer


Kateřina Králová is a professor of contemporary history and a memory studies scholar at Charles University in Prague and the Czech Academy of Sciences. At the Institute of International Studies, she leads the Research Centre for Memory Studies and has held prominent roles, including Head of the Department of Russian and East European Studies and Vice-Dean for International Relations. An expert in modern history with a focus on Nazi persecution and Holocaust studies, Králová has received prestigious fellowships from the Humboldt Foundation and Fulbright Commission. Králová has authored key publications, including Das Vermächtnis der Besatzung: Deutsch-griechische Beziehungen seit 1940 (Böhlau, 2016; BpB, 2017), and co-edited Diverse Perspectives on Jewish Life in Southeast Europe (Routledge, 2019). She has guest-edited special issues such as "Troubled Pasts and Memory Politics in Central and Southeastern Europe" for Nationalities Papers and "Mass Atrocities in Southeast Europe: History and Memory of World War II and Its Aftermath" for the Journal of Modern European History. Her forthcoming book, Homecoming, on Holocaust survivors in Greece, will be published by Brandeis University Press. Králová is also actively involved in international research collaborations, including co-chairing the working group on Welfare in the Slow Memory COST Action. Her contributions extend to mentoring, teaching, and serving on the editorial boards of prominent academic journals.




Rose Smith

MSA Local Deputy Coordinator and Secretariat Manager


Rose Smith is a doctoral candidate in a joint program at Charles University (Czech Republic) and the University of Groningen (Netherlands). Her research sits at the intersection of museum and memory studies, with a focus on how museum representations of the Communist past shape collective identities. Her work centres on Central European countries, particularly the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. She holds an International Master's in Economy, State, and Society from University College London and Charles University and a Master's in Political Philosophy from Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Additionally, she is actively involved in several international research collaborations, including coordinating the Research Centre for Memory Studies at the Institute of International Studies and participating in initiatives with the Memory Studies Association and the Slow Memory Cost Action.






Local Organization Committee


  • Lucie Božková , ISS FSS CUNI (Logistics & Catering)
  • Anežka Brožová, ISS FSS CUNI (E-Communication)
  • Teresa Córtes, ISS FSS CUNI (E-Communication)
  • Karin Roginer Hofmeister, ISS FSS CUNI (Liaison with Publishers)
  • Ondřej Klípa, ISS FSS CUNI (City Walks Coordinator)
  • Johana Kłusek, IE CAS (Cultural Program Coordinator)
  • Klára Kosová, ISS FSS CUNI (E-Communication)
  • Sára Osterrothová, ISS FSS CUNI (Student Assistants Manager)
  • Veronika Pehe, ICH CAS (Media Coordinator)
  • Johana Wyss, IE CAS (Family Facilities Coordinator)



Program Committee


  • Maria Alina Asavei (Charles University)
  • Annette Becker (Paris-Nanterre)
  • Rebeca Dolgoy (University of Calgary)
  • Jelena Dureinovic (University of Vienna)
  • Deniz Gundogan Ibrisim (Boğaziçi University)
  • Maria Kobielska (Jagellonian University)
  • Róża Kochanowska (University of Warsaw, MSA Program coordinator)
  • Kateřina Králová (Charles University, Chair)
  • Jan Kubik (UCL/Rutgers University)
  • Olivier Luminet (UC Louvain)
  • Jeffrey Olick (University of Virginia)
  • Avishek Parui (IIT Madras)
  • Maria Eugenia Ulfe Young (PUCP)
  • Juliane Tomann (University of Regensburg, Co-Chair)


Advisory role to the Program Committee


  • Catherine Gilbert (University Newcastle)
  • Johanna Vollmeyer (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, MSA EC)
  • Joanna Wawrzyniak (University of Warsaw, MSA President)


MSA Forward Organisers


  • Ivana Koutníková (Charles University)
  • Alexis Ntetorakis (Charles University)
  • Jana Vinga-Martins (University Regensburg)
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