Times of Transformation. The Research Field of Jewish History and Culture in Post-socialist Societies

The political turning point of 1989/90 marked a paradigm shift in the study and perception of Jewish history and culture in Central and Eastern Europe. This was reflected in the (re)establishment of research institutions such as the Simon Dubnow Institute in Leipzig, founded in 1995 by resolution of the Saxon State Parliament.

The opening of long-inaccessible archives fundamentally changed the conditions for academic research into Jewish communities, institutions, and experiences in Eastern Europe. Central topics such as exclusion, violence, and memory of the Holocaust were revisited, especially as new political impulses—like restitution efforts—revived public awareness of the mass violence that had occurred mainly in Central and Eastern Europe, with far-reaching demographic and material consequences.

This renewed engagement also led to greater scholarly attention to the former cultural and religious diversity of Jewish life in the region and the processes of exchange between Jews in East and West. However, this momentum now appears to be waning. Current global developments, shifting historical narratives, and increasingly pluralistic societies in Europe have led to a growing distance from Jewish history and Holocaust memory—often accompanied by resistance to the field itself.

The annual conference will address these historical and contemporary questions in panels, a keynote lecture and a roundtable discussing the state of Jewish Studies in the former Eastern Bloc.

Program

Registration
Due to limited space, registration for the conference is no longer possible. 
The conference languages are German and English; no simultaneous interpretation will be provided.