Lecture Series / Brown Bag

When thinking of German businesses, we usually mean West German ones. To add nuance to this perspective, this event will focus on two successful East German companies that had to restart after 1989 when Communism fell and the German government privatized thousands of companies.

Panelist: Tim Bale, Queen Mary University of London, Jane Green, University of Oxford, Robert Ford, University of Manchester and Robert Johns, University of Essex Moderator: Jae-Jae Spoon, University of Pittsburgh

Professor Daniel Thomas (University of Leiden) joins Pitt Professor Gregor Thum (History) for a discussion of his recent work entitled "The Limits of Europe: Membership Norms and the Contestation of Regional Integration" and how it outlines the potential expansion of the European Union and what it means to be a member of Europe. Please register using the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/302753522937

On April 10th, France will hold a presidential election putting ideologies, personalities, and the future of France on the ballot. A run-off will be held on April 24th if no one secures a majority.

Colonialism in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries left legacies of violence, displacement, and economic underdevelopment with which European states and countries formerly under European control continue to reckon. How are damages calculated? Will restitution and recompense lead to reconciliation and social justice? Join us for a discussion of the transnational politics and history of reparations. Panelists: Joshua Kwesi Aikins, Human Rights Activist/Public Scholar Wes Alcenat, Fordham University Verene A.

This installment of Conversations on Europe is a Jean Monnet Center of Excellence Roundtable. For the 2021-22 academic year, the European Studies Center has announced its annual programmatic theme: “Recovering Europe.” Many of this year’s virtual roundtables will speak to this theme. In the Fall semester, sessions will explore economic and public health issues related to Europe’s recovery from the pandemic. In the Spring semester, sessions will consider different, and often uneven, attempts to reckon with and recover from the enduring legacies of European colonialism.

This installment of Conversations on Europe is part of the Critical Area Studies of Europe Initiative. For the 2021-22 academic year, the European Studies Center has announced its annual programmatic theme: “Recovering Europe.” Many of this year’s virtual roundtables will speak to this theme. In the Fall semester, sessions will explore economic and public health issues related to Europe’s recovery from the pandemic. In the Spring semester, sessions will consider different, and often uneven, attempts to reckon with and recover from the enduring legacies of European colonialism.

Rafał Wnuk is a professor at John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin/Poland (KUL). In the last couple of weeks, Poland is constantly in the news for not keeping the European standards of the rule of law. However, this deformation of the country’s legal system is just one of the many issues Poles face today. The current government is also trying to implement its version of national history, silencing dissenting views and encroaching on the school and university curriculum. Professor Wnuk will discuss the role of history as a tool in building an increasingly authoritarian state.

Anthony Kruszewski is professor emeritus at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Beata Halicka is professor at Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań/Poland. During this conversation, we will discuss Beata Halicka’s biography of Anthony Kruszewski. Professor Kruszewski was first a Polish scout fighting in World War II against the Nazi occupiers, then a Prisoner of War and Displaced Person in Western Europe. He was stranded as a penniless immigrant in post-war America and eventually became a pioneer in the field of Borderland Studies.

This workshop series is aimed at Pitt staff, faculty, and students working in international education or who hope to work in international organizations and who want to learn more about engaging audiences through social media.