Decolonial and Postcolonial Perspectives on the Eastern (of) Europe’

About the course:

The course aims to advance postcolonial and decolonial critiques from a Central and Eastern European (CEE) standpoint to overcome the epistemic dichotomy of West versus East, North vs. South prevailing in the Western academic canon. By discussing theoretical perspectives grounded in empirically rigorous qualitative research brought by (international) specialists in the fi eld and Ph.D. students researching this region, the course participants will engage with Eastern Europe/post-socialism/the Global East as an analytical liminal space and its relation to the EUrope.

Target audience:

Ph.D. and Postdoctoral students of Social and Political Sciences interested in studying the Global East or the so-called post-Soviet space.

Aims:

(1) Attendees will become better acquainted with the study area canonically known as post-socialist studies and the emerging postcolonial and decolonial critiques on the subject.

(2) Attendees will obtain a nuanced and critical understanding of certain multidisciplinary research strands emerging on the subject while paying particular attention to globalisation, coloniality, mobility, questions of race, gender and intersectionality.

(3) Attendees will meet and be able to exchange with the specialists in the fi eld and draw on and apply or critique their insights via their own work.

(4) Through interactive course format, lectures, and core readings, attendees will grasp some core alternative methodologies aimed at ‘decolonise’ the study area and engage in self-reflexive knowledge production.

(5) Attendees will strengthen their presentation skills, discussion and critical thinking while engaging in discussion and presenting their own work.