The International Academic Week (HSW) is the Southeast Europe Association’s (Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft – SOG) annual key event to bring together early-career researchers (MA/ PhD/ Post-Doc levels) and experienced scholars from all over Europe and beyond to present and discuss their research on the region. As always, it will take place in cooperation with the Akademie für Politische Bildung at the beautiful Lake Starnberg in Tutzing (close to Munich) from 6-10 October 2025.

This year’s conference is hosted by Prof. Dr. Heike Karge (University of Graz) and Jun.-Prof. Dr. Željana Tunić (University of Halle-Wittenberg).

Call for Applications
The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of both the Srebrenica genocide and the end of the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. This moment offers a crucial opportunity to critically examine the Yugoslav wars (1991–1999), not only as a defining episode for Southeast Europe but as a watershed moment for Europe as a whole.

While these wars have long been framed as a regional phenomenon, more recent research has increasingly emphasized their global dimensions—from transnational actors and international interventions to their lasting impact on European security, law, and memory cultures. This conference builds on these transnational and interconnected perspectives while maintaining a strong focus on the local, interethnic, and personal dimensions of violence and its aftermath.

The International Academic Week seeks to foster a multidisciplinary and intergenerational dialogue by bringing together established scholars and early-career researchers. The event aims to reassess existing research, introduce innovative methodological approaches, and promote discussions that bridge the micro-level of individual and community experiences with macro-level regional and global frameworks.

Key topics and themes

Politics of Remembrance
The Yugoslav wars continue to shape memory cultures across Southeast Europe and beyond, producing competing narratives and contested sites of remembrance. Official state discourses, international tribunals, grassroots memorialization efforts, and artistic representations all play a role in constructing the legacy of these wars. The processes of remembering and forgetting are deeply influenced by political agendas, legal frameworks, and transnational memory regimes, raising questions about the instrumentalization of historical narratives for nation-building, identity politics, and regional reconciliation. Contributions in this area may explore the role of memorials, museums, and educational curricula in shaping collective memory, as well as the interactions between local, national, and supranational actors in the politics of remembrance.

War Experiences and Afterlives
The human dimension of war extends far beyond the battlefield, with lasting repercussions for individuals, families, and societies. This theme examines the experiential and personal dimensions of war, including displacement, forced migration, postwar trauma, and the reconstruction of everyday life in war-torn societies. The oral histories of survivors, veterans, refugees, and other affected groups provide crucial insights into the lived realities of war and its enduring psychological, social, and economic consequences. Contributions may explore questions of identity formation, intergenerational trauma, gendered experiences of war, and the role of civil society in postwar reconstruction. Additionally, this theme seeks to bridge micro-historical perspectives with broader structural analyses of postwar societies and the reintegration of war-affected populations.

Transitional Justice in the Digital Age
In the aftermath of the Yugoslav wars, transitional justice mechanisms, including international and domestic trials and truth commission initiatives, have sought to address war crimes and human rights violations. At the same time, the digitalization of justice and memory processes has introduced new opportunities and challenges. Online databases, forensic archives, social media activism, and digital storytelling projects have transformed access to historical evidence and testimonial narratives, raising critical questions about the authenticity, accessibility, and politicization of digital memory. This theme invites contributions that engage with the intersection of technology, law, and memory studies, examining the role of digital platforms in fact-finding, historical revisionism, and transnational justice efforts.

Literature and Arts after the Wars
Cultural representations of the Yugoslav wars play a crucial role in shaping public discourse, collective memory, and historical consciousness. Literature, film, theater, and visual arts provide alternative modes of witnessing, narrating, and interpreting the wars and their aftermath, often challenging official historiographies and dominant political narratives. This theme explores how postwar artistic production mediates trauma, engages with themes of guilt and responsibility, and contributes to reconciliation or division. Contributions may examine narrative strategies, aesthetic choices, and the ethical dimensions of representing violence and loss, as well as the role of art in fostering dialogue within and beyond the region. Special attention will be given to transnational and diasporic artistic expressions, which offer new perspectives on war and post-war identity.

This and the in-depth discussion of transregional dimensions of the wars and their aftermath should provide an impetus for an expanded production of knowledge about the Yugoslav wars.

Deadline for applications: 30 April 2025
You may apply for two different options of participation:

• Paper (abstract and short CV required)
• Participation without own contribution (short CV and motivation letter required)

Applications with an active contribution will be prioritized.

Conference language: English

The abstract should include your contribution’s title and summarize the main topics and (research) questions you are going to address. Your CV should outline your academic status and offer information on the project your contribution is derived from (e.g. Master’s thesis, PhD, etc.). The motivation letter should be no longer than 300 words.

For all applicants accepted for participation with a contribution the Southeast Europe Association will cover travel expenses, boarding and lodging. We expect you to participate in the entire conference (6 – 10 October 2025) in Tutzing (close to Munich, see APB Tutzing).

The conference is designed as an entirely inperson event. Travel expenses can usually be covered up to the amount of a 2nd class train ticket to/from Tutzing. In cases of lacking accessibility with train or bus we will check options for travel with alternative means, including flight connections.