Seminars: Week 1
Unrecognized states. Memory wars. Dealing with the past.
Try not to talk when Andriy Portnov does.
Day One
Unrecognized States in Post-Soviet Space
Mikhail Minakov describes the situations in unrecognized states across the post-Soviet sphere
Memory Wars
Tatiana Zhurzhenko introduces us to the legacy of Europe's memory conflicts
Day Two
Understanding Violence and War I
Andriy Portnov asks if ordinary men can pick up arms, who cannot?
Deconstructing a Planned City
We listen to a student presentation on Eisenhüttenstadt, one of the first socialist planned cities. It now hosts a refugee camp.​
Format
PeaceLab seminars take many forms. Experts share their knowledge about the post-Soviet region through thematic talks on memory, gender, violence and more. Facilitators manage workshops ranging from conflict resolution to project management and so forth, giving students concrete skills to take into the field. Artists and graduate students share their work and works-in-progress. And public sessions in the evening invite locals to join us for panels on education, hybrid solutions and addressing conflict.
Day Three

Cross-Sectoral Project Management
Nils-Eyk Zimmerman asks us to think about our projects and how to use them to break down barriers between disciplines.
Understanding Violence and War II
Andriy Portnov explores what it is that makes some people pick up arms, but not everyone.​
Descendants of the Great War
Felix Ackermann links the Great Patriotic War with veterans of the Soviet-Afghan conflict.
Museums and Memory Politics
Pawel Machewicz describes the genesis and alleged ideological sabotage of Gdansk's Museum of the Second World War
Day Four

Conflict Management and Peace Mediation
Lars Kirchhoff outlines various strategies and tools used in peace mediations worldwide.
The Paramilitarization of Memory
Felix Ackermann describes how modern, East European democracies look to post-war guerilla fighters for what often turns out to be problematic inspiration.​
Understanding Violence and War III
Andriy Portnov takes us to a nearby Jewish cemetary, itself the object of a long history of violence.
MyStreetFilms - 86 Film Festival
A collection of short films shown at the 86 Film Festival in Slavutych, Ukraine.
Big Ideas:
  • 1
    Memory
    The ways we think about the past have a tendency of resurfacing. Violently.

  • 2
    Peace Mediation
    The act and art of making peace, one transferrable skill set at a time.
  • 3
    Narrative
    What's the story you've been told? Who tells it, and how?
  • 4
    Cross-Sectoral Projects
    Creating and managing projects with an interdisciplinary angle.
  • 5
    Gender
    Does war affect all genders the same? Does memory? Or violence?
  • 6
    Rethinking Institutions
    Museums, universities - our institutes shape how we live. But how can we shape them in return?
Day Five

Changing the Past in Our Heads
Beatrix Austin invites us to think about how the past continues to define the present. And about what we can do to change that.
Day Six

The Museum of the Second World War
Our excursion to Gdansk's famous museum. With pictures.
The Role of Education and Narratives of Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism
A public discussion on the place of nationalism and cosmopolitanism when it comes to educating the next generation.
Ready for more?
Head on to Week Two!
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