[spectre] ANN: Summer School "A Postcolonial Condition?" ... in Eastern Europe (Hamburg, 22-26 Sep 25)

[Andreas Broeckmann]

From: Prof. Dr. Petra Lange-Berndt
Date: Mar 17, 2025
Subject: ANN: Summer School "A Postcolonial Condition?" (Hamburg, 22-26 
Sep 25)

Warburg-Haus, Hamburg, Sep 22–26, 2025
Deadline: May 2, 2025

A Postcolonial Condition?  Art, Literature, Film, and the Everyday in 
Eastern Europe.

Organised by Marina Gerber, Petra Lange-Berndt, Anja Tippner, Eastern 
European / Slavic Studies and Department of History of Art, Universität 
Hamburg.

Decolonial and postcolonial studies play a major role in Eastern Europe 
both in theory and in aesthetic practices such as art, literature, film, 
and visual and material culture. The resulting shift in perspective, 
especially since 1989, has shed light on peripheral actors and 
non-hegemonic positions. Debates about decolonisation have increasingly 
been shaped by the need to examine imperial structures, by 
site-sensitive approaches and by a re-examination of Eurocentric points 
of view. These debates have gained new urgency since the full-scale 
invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the ensuing war. 
Important questions remain, however, about whether and how theories of 
decolonisation developed with other geographies in mind relate to 
Eastern Europe and exploring these can offer pertinent insights for the 
wider debate. The diversity of post-socialist spaces, which extend from 
Central Europe through the Baltic States, Russia and Ukraine to Central 
Asia, provides material for comparison in the light of different 
geopolitical, environmental and political constellations.

This Summer School will focus on these recent discussions and explore 
the following questions: Can post-socialist conditions be described as 
postcolonial? Or do we need to go further back in history and think 
about postcoloniality in Eastern Europe as a post-imperial space? If so, 
what might the decolonisation of Eastern Europe look like? What is the 
relationship between postcolonial, post-socialist and post-imperial 
dynamics? What role can the arts play in these processes? Which 
aesthetic practices can be described as decolonising? How do authors and 
artists develop alternative modes for situating themselves as Eastern 
European? How do postcolonial approaches adapt to cultural and 
historical experience and to new political conditions in the regions?

This event is aimed at doctoral students, postdocs, prospective 
researchers as well as artists who would like to discuss their current 
academic and / or artistic projects on the topic. We also intend to 
invite scholars, writers and artists from the regions mentioned. Please 
send your CV and a short abstract (350 words) of your presentation to 
marina.gerber at uni-hamburg.de.

The Summer School will be held in English and German at Warburg-Haus, 
Hamburg (http://www.warburg-haus.de). Accommodation costs will be 
covered. An application for funding for travel expenses has been 
submitted. The application deadline is 2 May 2025. Participants will be 
notified by mid-May.


Reference / Quellennachweis:
ANN: Summer School "A Postcolonial Condition?" (Hamburg, 22-26 Sep 25). 
In: ArtHist.net, Mar 17, 2025. <https://arthist.net/archive/44080>.