Eureast Platform UGent

📢 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
🎓 “𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧” 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐕𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐧 Đ𝐨𝐤𝐢ć, 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞

Academic freedoms form the foundation of the university community’s ethics and act as a powerful unifying force, linking universal and individual ethical principles. The recent rise of autocratic tendencies in Serbia shows how any limitation of academic freedom resonates across students, researchers, and professors—sparking both resistance and critical reflection.

Through three fragments of repression, Prof. Đokić reveals the mechanisms used to undermine public education in Serbia. ⚠️ This is a real and urgent danger.

At a time when both civil and academic freedoms face increasing pressure, and institutions become more subordinated to political power, intellectual and collective capacities are mobilized to resist conformity, passivity, and one-dimensional thinking.

🗓️ Programme
19:00 – Welcome
19:05 – Public Lecture by Prof. Vladan Đokić
19:30 – Panel discussion with Prof. Pieter Troch, moderated by Prof. Fabienne Bossuyt, co-director of the Eureast Platform
❓ 20:10 – Q&A
🔚 20:30 – Closing

🤝 Organized in cooperation with the Eureast Platform

📍 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨
🗓️ Wednesday 22 April
🕖 19:00–20:30
📌 Auditorium Vandenhove | Rozier 1, 9000 Ghent

📍 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

Public Lecture "Academic Freedom and the Contingency of Its Boundaries: Fragments on Repression" by Prof. Vladan Đokić, Rector of the University of Belgrade - Human Rights Research Network   The HRRN is honored to host Professor Vladan Đokić, Rector of the University of Belgrade, who will deliver an open lecture on academic freedom on the 22 of April.   Academic freedoms represent the foundation of the ethics of the university community and a strong cohesive factor, because they c...

📚✨𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞!
𝟗 𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐭: 𝐁𝐨𝐞𝐤𝐯𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 '𝐕𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐝! (𝐄𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐠)'

In het boek Vrede aan de wereld! (En toen werd het oorlog) geven de slavisten Pieter Boulogne (KU Leuven) en Annemarie Gielen (Pax Christi Vlaanderen) het woord aan een dozijn regiospecialisten en andere deskundigen om de culturele en historische gelaagdheid van de Russisch-Oekraïense oorlog in beeld te brengen.

Het vertrekpunt is de vraag welke diepere oorzaken de oorlog heeft, en wat voor Rusland drogredenen waren om die te legitimeren. Hoe ziet dat verguisde Oekraïense derussificatiebeleid er nu eigenlijk uit? De auteurs besteden ook aandacht aan de opvang van Oekraïense vluchtelingen in Polen en aan de emigratie van schrijvers uit Rusland. In historisch perspectief ontleden ze de propaganda die de Russen op school en in de bioscoop warm moet maken om naar het front te trekken en er desgevallend te sneuvelen. Wat vinden de Russen nu zelf van die oorlog? Zijn de westerse sancties tegen Rusland zinvol of onzinnig? En wat hopen de Russische vredesactivisten in de huidige repressieve context nog te bereiken?

🕖 19:00 – Welkom
🎓 19:15 – Lezingen door Koen Schoors, Piet Van Poucke, Anna Namestnikov & Ben Dhooge (Universiteit Gent)
❓ 20:15 – Vragen uit het publiek
🎻🪗 20:30 – Muziek door Lev Adamov (viool) en Oleksii Soldatov (accordeon), samengebracht in het project Dialogues on the Roof (TBC)
✍️📚 21:00 – Boeksignering

Wanneer? 9 maart, 19:00 - 21:00
Waar? Vandenhove, Rozier 1, Gent 900
Gratis, maar registratie is verplicht

https://www.ugent.be/en/agenda/peace

🎓 Join us for a week full of insightful lectures, discussions, and cultural events as part of the specialist course at Ghent University:
📚 "Belarus as a Crucial Case of Wider Regional and Global Trends: Perspectives on Politics, Society, History, Law and Culture"

📅 Programme:

🗓 21 October | 13:30 – 15:00
🎤 Keynote speech: “Conceptual approaches to the study of Belarus: IR theories and beyond”
👨‍🏫 Prof. Dr. Aliaksei Kazharski, Charles University in Prague

🗓 22 October | 10:00 – 12:00
🎓 Lecture: “Belarus after 2020: The end of electoral authoritarianism”
👩‍🏫 Prof. Dr. Sofie Bedford, Uppsala University

🎬 22 October | 19:00 – 21:00
Movie screening & discussion: “The Green Border”
📍 KASK – Auditorium D, Campus UFO, Technicum T2

🗓 23 October | 10:00 – 12:00
📖 Lecture: “How to decolonize Belarusian literature?”
👨‍🏫 Prof. Simon Lewis, Universität Bremen

🗓 24 October | 10:00 – 12:00
🎨 Lecture: “Poets of change: Creative resistance and the reinvention of national symbols in Belarusian protest art”
👨‍🏫 Prof. Dr. Peter Vermeersch, KU Leuven

🕯 24 October | 17:00 – 18:30
✨ Poetry evening with Belarusian poet Julia Cimafeiyeva
📍 Library of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Campus Boekentoren, Rozier 44

📍 Venue (unless stated otherwise): Paviljoen Vandenhove, Rozier 1, 9000 Ghent
🎟 Free entrance – everyone welcome!

📢 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧!

🎓 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦

🗓️ Join the second edition of this international school on human rights!

This year’s edition will explore the fundamental rights in the wider region of Europe shedding light on the realities of human rights in different political contexts.

What you'll gain:
✅ A deeper understanding of human rights in legal, political, and social contexts
✅ Tools to critically analyze dominant narratives
✅ Skills in advocacy and interdisciplinary research

👥 Who can apply?
Final-year undergraduate and graduate students from: Europe, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Central Asia & the Caucasus

💸 Participation is FREE!

🔗 Learn more and apply here:
👉 https://www.ugent.be/eureastplatform/en/education

📣𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒! 📣
One of the Eureast Platform members, Prof. Bruno de Cordier from the Department of Conflict and Development Studies, co-authored a new article:
“National Histor(iograph)y: An Ideological Identitarian Frontline? Gulag Commemoration, Self-definition and Statehood in Kazakhstan”. Central Asian Affairs. 2025. 11, pp. 244-278.

📌Read the summary here: https://brill.com/view/journals/caa/11/3-4/article-p244_2.xml

On June, 4th, our Ukraine-plus knowledge centre in coopertaion with the the Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial Brussels ADC Memorial organize an event on the rights of Ukrainian children in wartime.
Human rights activists Yevhen Zakharov, head of Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group , a leading expert on the projects “Voices of War“ and “Tribunal for Putin“ (T4R) and Tetiana Semikop, Head of a public movement “Faith. Hope. Love“ (Odesa) — two leading experts currently working in Ukraine — will discuss the violation of children’s rights in war-torn Ukraine and the rights of children abducted to Russia.
Their presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the situation of Ukrainian children, adolescents and young people in Belgium, particularly on the issue of their education and integration into Belgian society and on the question of their possible return and reintegration into Ukrainian society. Ukrainian students in Belgium will take part in the discussion and reflect on their situation and challenges.

Time § Place: 4 June, 10:00 - 14:00, Campus Boekentoren, Aud. 04 (Blandijnberg 2)
Registration: https://event.ugent.be/registration/ukrainianchildren

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ''𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬/𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞?''
This is a photographic exhibition that brings together the work of
Ukrainian photographers who are currently living in Belgium. Through their images and stories, they reflect on the meaning of home — a concept that has been challenged, lost,
and redefined by war, migration, and the search for belonging.

You are also warmly invited to the informal opening of the exhibition on Thursday, 22 May at 18:00 at De Afkikker (Sint-Kwintensberg 52).

Curator: Honoré Van Hecke
Time & Place: 22 May – 20 June, Rozier 44, 1st Floor

📢 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟐 𝐌𝐚𝐲: 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 '𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞: 𝐥𝐚𝐰, 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞' 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐬𝐤𝐲𝐢,
𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞.

🗓️ He was appointed to this position by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on 1 July 2023, following the designation of the Conference of Participants of the Register at its first meeting.

👨‍💼 As the Executive Director, Markiyan represents the Register and acts on its behalf. He has day-to-day responsibility for overseeing and administering the work of the Secretariat of the Register, with whom he acts to ensure substantive, technical, administrative, and organisational support for the Conference of Participants and the Board of the Register.

📍 Time & Place: 22 May from 18:00 to 19:30, Faculty Board Room (Room 2.1), Volderstraat 3 (ingang 2), 9000 Ghent

🔗 Registration:

Lecture 'Reparations for Ukraine: law, history and the register of damage for Ukraine' A public lecture on the legal, historical, and institutional foundations of reparations efforts in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

📢𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤: '𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐬: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚'!

👤Speakers:

📍 Eric de Muynck, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of Armenia
📍 Lia Tsuladze, Associate Professor of Sociology at Tbilisi State University (Georgia)
📍 Shirak Safaryan, PhD Candidate at the University of Wroclaw (Poland) and visiting researcher at Ghent University
📍 Bacho Khuroshvili, PhD Candidate at the University of Wroclaw (Poland)
📍 Laura Luciani, Postdoctoral Researcher at Ghent University, will moderate the discussion.

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 § 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞: Tuesday 20 May, 16:00 - 17:30, Room +3.1 - Technicum T1, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent

👉 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: https://www.ugent.be/en/agenda/europe-caucasus

🇦🇲🇬🇪 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧!
In March, the Eureast Platform embarked on its first academic mission to Armenia and Georgia! 🌍📚

Over five intensive days our delegation:
📍 Visited 12 partner institutions & organizations
📍 Participated in 5 engaging events
📍 Recorded 2 podcast episodes

The mission created meaningful connections between researchers from Armenia, Georgia, and Ghent University 🤝 - paving the way for future collaborations, academic exchanges, and joint initiatives. 🚀

👇 Read more about this academic mission:

Strengthening Academic Ties in the South Caucasus: Eureast Platform’s Mission to Armenia and Georgia This academic mission fostered meaningful connections between researchers from Armenia, Georgia, and Ghent University. These newly established links are expected to lead to future collaborations, academic exchanges, and joint academic initiatives.

📣𝟐𝟖 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥: 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐉𝐮𝐫𝐲: 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧/𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬


Bringing together scholars specializing in authoritarian and/or war-torn contexts, this event will discuss ethical and methodological challenges that research on/in such contexts presents. The event is organized in the form of a roundtable, with opening remarks by the four scholars whose research focuses on authoritarian and/or war-torn contexts: Prof Sofie Bedford (Uppsala University), Prof Bruno De Cordier (UGent), Dr Vasil Navumau (University of Siegen), and Dr Laura Luciani (UGent).

📍 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 § 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞: Monday 28 April 2025, 14:15h-16:15h, Room 3.1, Campus Ufo, Technicum. Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41

👇 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: https://event.ugent.be/registration/event/ff90d746-d601-4beb-aeec-de896300d320