Past Events

THIS IS EVENT IS POSTPONED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED Celebrate with us for a Listen and Read event! Happening in Ireland on Thursday, April 25: "National Poetry Day". Happening in the Irish Room on Thursday, April 25, 2pm to 4 pm This event is at no charge and open to the public. Readers are welcome. SPONSORS: Irish Nationality Room Committee Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs University Center for International Studies

Hosted by the Humanities Center and visiting fellow, Finbarr Barry Flood. This event will be hybrid, so you can attend it either in person in 602 CL or via Zoom as you prefer. The image of Islam in the West has been consistently informed by the idea that the religion fosters distinctive attitudes towards the image. Recent controversies about Islam, aniconism and iconoclasm are typical in this respect, often taking the idea of an Islamic Bilderverbot (image prohibition) as a given. Seen from the perspective of the longue durée, however, the idea of an image problem is only partly informed by knowledge or understanding of beliefs and practices that are internal to Islam. Representations of Islam produced by non-Muslims over more than a millennium have been no less important to the perception, perhaps even creation, of an Islamic Bilderverbot. This persistent idea should, therefore, be analyzed not only in relation to the tenets of Islam, but also as an aspect of European intellectual history. Doing so sheds light upon the current reinvestment of the image as a site for the construction of difference in debates about Islam, secularism and European identity.

During this session of our Conversations on Europe, we will focus our discussion on the ongoing election campaign to the European Parliament, as the elections will take place between June 6th and 9th. With looming economic slowdown, increasing migration both on the southern and eastern border of the EU, and growing support for populist and nationalist parties, what are the prospects for the EU integration? What are the main topics of the campaign, and how will they impact the elections? Which parties will gain a majority in the upcoming 5 years term and shape the future of the EU? Moderator: Jae-Jae Spoon, University of Pittsburgh Panelist: TBD

EU ENLARGEMENT LECTURE SERIES: 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement As part of our continued efforts to bring together experts with diverse perspectives to discuss contemporary issues facing Europe, the European Studies Center/European Union Center of Excellence (ESC/EUCE) along with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) offers a new lecture series to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the EU Enlargement. This virtual lecture series will be held on the last Thursday of each month.  2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the biggest enlargement of the European Union in its history. Ten countries, mainly former socialist Eastern European states, almost doubled the EU from 15 to 25 member states. May 1, 2004, was the triumphal return to the European Family for many. But for some, it initiated a process of disenchantment with the EU and the West. Each month, the ESC/EUCE, together with REEES at the University of Pittsburgh, will focus our attention on a specific country or a group of countries in the EU by inviting experts and eyewitnesses to discuss the hopes and realities of the EU integration before and after expansion to address what hopes were fulfilled and what new hopes exist for the Union in the present. Each session is recorded and later posted on the internet with suggested additional readings and further resources. Please check out our webpage for more details and mark the last Thursday of the month to attend this event. Moderator: Panelist:

As humans rely more and more on electronic devices to support their everyday activities, there are ever present warnings about the impacts such reliance has on human autonomy ranging from who owns and controls information networks, the inequitable impact of technology consumption on peoples and places, varying accessibility of technology around the globe, and the promises and limitations of technology in improving human health.  In Spring 2024, the focus will be on the impact technology has on criminal justice. This will include a discussion about technology’s impact on human safety, including the increasing use of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other technology by various authorities of the criminal justice system. This will include discussions on the benefits and risks in the implementation and automation of such technology within criminal justice apparatuses. We will also consider how such implementation differs across global criminal justice systems, including how this technology is governed.

The broad rubric of identity is the single most dominant research agenda in academic scholarship, and Eurasian history is no exception. When it comes to questions of ethnic identity, scholars most often focus on groups that can boast some kind of institutional backing - such as a nation-state. Yet, historically, there were many ways that people integrated into collectives - whether or not they were conscious of doing so - that did not lead to a modern nation-state. This keynote address highlights some of the Central Asian groups all but forgotten by history, as well as non-identitarian forms of human integration, such as language, cultures of documentation, and performances of sovereignty.

Sami Day: A Cultural Celebration of the Indigenous People of Northern Europe 10:30am-12:30pm (Posvar 4130) - Watch the film Historja-Stitches for Sapmi (2022) - Introduction by Randall Halle, Director of the European Studies Center at Pitt 12:30-2:00pm (Meet Virtually) - Ann-Helen Laestadius, writer of international bestseller Stolen - Anne Heith, Associate Professor in Comparative Literature and Media Studies 2:00-3:45pm - Listen to Sami music and taste some light Sami snacks Contact Gunnerl Bergstrom, LCTL Swedish Program (gwb40@pitt.edu)