On 21 November, the Faculty of History will host an International conference "New Cultural Landscape Interpretations: Perspectives from Geography and History" organised by (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre.

Conference is dedicated to exploring innovative approaches and compelling case studies in the interdisciplinary study of cultural landscapes —including urban, agrarian, and modified natural environments. Bringing together scholars, researchers, and practitioners from the different disciplines, this event aims to delve into emerging themes and theoretical inquiries that are shaping contemporary landscape studies. Find the conference program here.

The event will take place at Vilnius University, Faculty of History (Universiteto g. 7), Room 211.

Project is funded by Research Council of Lithuania under the Programme "University Excellence Initiatives" of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania (Measure No. 12-001-01-01-01 "Improving the Research and Study Environment"). Project No.: S-A-UEI-23-12.

On 5 November, 5 pm, the Faculty of History will host a discussion with Dr. Epp Annus (Tallinn University, Ohio State University). The event invites to discuss the arrival of new Anthropocene and eco-social ideas in the field of history and other humanities and social sciences.

The discussion will take place at Vilnius University, Faculty of History (Universiteto g. 7), Room 109.

Dr. Epp Annus' research interests include culture, philology and linguistics. Using a (post)colonialist and phenomenological perspective, she studies Baltic history, politics and society, highlighting the complex ideological links between the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. She is the author of the monograph Soviet Postcolonial Studies A View from the Western Borderlands (2018). More information about the lecturer here.

Event is funded by Research Council of Lithuania under the Programme "University Excellence Initiatives" of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania (Measure No. 12-001-01-01-01 "Improving the Research and Study Environment"). Project No.: S-A-UEI-23-12.

The Centre for the Study of East European Jewish History at the Vilnius University Department of History together with The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University, Department of Jewish Studies at Wroclaw University, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Lviv Catholic University invites to the series of Graduate and PhD students’ online Seminars dedicated to Jewish history, culture, heritage and memory in Eastern Europe.

Each seminar will be followed by discussion with experienced scholars.

PROGRAM

On 23-27 September, (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre (PAScapes) organised an international summer school "Cultural landscapes: Concrete heritage" for PhD students interested in concrete heritage.

During the intensive programme, participants delved into the situation of one of the most important materials of the 20th century - concrete - and its heritage, assessment and the possibility of its preservation in Lithuania and abroad, focusing on two case studies - Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports (arch. Eduardas Chlomauskas, Zigmantas Liandsbergis, Jonas Kriukelis, eng. Henrikas Karvelis, 1964) and summer vacation hotel "Žilvinas" in Palanga (arch. Algimantas Lėckas, eng. Kęstutis Augustinas, 1969).

An international team of heritage experts, architects and historians worked with PhD students on concrete heritage issues: assoc. prof. dr. Kyle Normandin (Columbia University), assoc. prof. dr. Wido Quist (TU Delft), dr. Stefania Landi (Pisa University), dr. Błażej Ciarkowski (University of Łódź), prof. dr. Marija Drėmaitė (Vilnius Uni), dr. Aušra Černauskienė (Vilnius Uni).

In the course of four days, three important objects of Lithuanian concrete heritage were visited - Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, Kaunas IX Fort Memorial Museum (arch. Gediminas Baravykas, Vytautas Vielius, 1984) and its monument (sculp. Alfonsas Ambraziūnas, 1984) and summer vacation hotel "Žilvinas", six lectures on concrete heritage took place, meetings with various decision makers were organised while workshops and discussions helped to formulate guidelines on how to renovate and adapt the studied objects while preserving their uniqueness and values.

The Faculty of History at Vilnius University introduces ‘Heritage Mondays’ public lecture series initiative and is pleased to invite you to a public lecture by Prof. Dr. Yonca Erkan from the University of Antwerp on September 9th at 17:00. The lecture is titled “The Role of Management Plans: Practices and Lessons in Cultural Heritage Conservation”.

During the lecture, Professor Erkan will share insights on the role of management plans in cultural heritage conservation, emphasizing their origins, necessity, and the benefits they provide. The lecture will explore the evolution of management plans since the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, addressing contemporary challenges faced by heritage sites. Professor Erkan will highlight the importance of these plans in preserving the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of heritage sites and ensuring their sustainable use. She will discuss how management plans serve as frameworks for coordinating actions and decision-making among stakeholders, including local communities, governments, and international organizations, while also supporting heritage tourism and local economic development. Additionally, Professor Erkan will discuss the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach and Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA), examining how these methodologies integrate cultural, social, economic, and environmental dimensions in managing urban heritage sites.

The lecture will take place on September 9th at 17:00, in Room 211. Moderator: Rugilė Puodžiūnienė; lecture series curators: prof. Marija Drėmaitė, PhD candidate Rugilė Puodžiūnienė. The event is public and free of charge. Those planning to attend are kindly requested to register by emailing .

The recent release of Season 2 of “House of the Dragon” has brought us back to the medieval fantasy realm of George Martin’s “Game of Thrones”. Although the series is based on fictional books, the author drew extensively from real medieval history, including the Hundred Years’ War, the Wars of the Roses, and the Crusades. Medieval Lithuania was also not without its share of intriguing moments, one of which was the mysterious death of Karigaila, the brother of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło) and cousin to Vytautas: he was beheaded in 1390 while defending Vilnius Castle against the Crusaders. Dr Antanas Petrilionis, researcher at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University (VU), has tried to unravel the threads of this murderous story dating back over six centuries.

From 1–5 July, for the second time, Vilnius University (VU) will host the summer school on the “Competition Among Great Powers, and the National State of Lithuania in the First Half of the 20th Century” organised jointly by the VU Faculty of History, the Baltic Geopolitics Network of the Centre for Geopolitics of the University of Cambridge, and the Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania.

“The Baltic Summer School of Vilnius University and the University of Cambridge is the result of several years of cooperation between the two universities. We are delighted that the Baltic region and Lithuania are receiving ever-increasing attention from the academic community of the University of Cambridge. The main objective of the school is to provide Lithuanian and British researchers with a space to share their experience in the field of Baltic research and strengthen academic ties. The school will be attended by lecturers from both universities, as well as master’s and doctoral students,” says Dr Kęstutis Kilinskas, the organiser of the summer school.

The summer school will include an extensive programme of events: academic presentations, tours to museums and historical sites in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Elektrėnai, as well as a roundtable discussion on the current security challenges in the Baltic States organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a reception at the British Embassy in Vilnius.

Call for Participants

Summer School  Vilnius Concert and Sports Hall © Norbert Tukaj 2019

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES: CONCRETE HERITAGE

Organised by Vilnius University, Faculty of History “(Post)Authoritarian Landscapes” Research Centre in collaboration with post-doctoral research “Evaluation and Preservation of Post-War Concrete Architecture.”

Vilnius and Palanga, Lithuania

23–26 September, 2024

Organisers:

• Prof. dr. Marija Drėmaitė (Vilnius University, Faculty of History, (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre)
• Post-doctoral researcher dr. Aušra Černauskienė (Vilnius University, Post-doctoral Fellow)

Teachers/Workshop leaders:

• Assoc. prof. dr. Wido Quist (TU Delft; Secretary General DOCOMOMO International)

Invited Speakers:

• Dr. Stefania Landi (Pisa University, DESTeC, Scuola di Ingegneria; ICOMOS ISC20C Vice President)
• Assistant Professor dr. Błażej Ciarkowski (University of Lódź, Department of History of Architecture)
• Architect Gintaras Balčytis (Chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Architects and curator of the Lithuanian Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024).

Are you already wondering what's next? Graduation can evoke many emotions, from relief and joy to confusion and anxiety.

We want to help you face the challenges ahead with confidence.

On the 22th of March, 15:00–18:30, we invite you to a VU summer graduates event, where we will provide you with all the key information about the post-graduation process. No matter whether you already have a clear career vision or are in the self-discovery phase and just starting to think about what you want to do, the event will deliver useful information for you.

At the event, you will learn about:

• alumni opportunities (what services and benefits you can access by joining the alumni network);
• further study options at Vilnius University (Master's, PhD, free listening, Lifelong Learning Centre activities);
• the importance and possibilities of philanthropy;
• essential practical skills (you will learn how to reconcile professional and personal goals to achieve work-life balance successfully. You will also learn self-presentation tricks that will instantly reveal your professional value in a job interview, CV, social networks or a networking event. You will find out more about personal finance management and investment).

The event will take place at the VU SCIC (VU Library, Saulėtekio al. 5).

Registration

What's Next? The Forum for Fresh Graduates is an informative event and also an opportunity to meet other future graduates and share experiences.

Get new ideas, valuable tools and decide what's next for you!

The Centre for the Study of East European Jewish History at the Vilnius University Department of History together with The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University, Department of Jewish Studies at Wroclaw University, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Lviv Catholic University invites MA students currently working on their theses and PhD students to apply and participate in a new international online seminar in the field of East European Jewish history and culture. The seminar is open to papers on various topics, chronology, methodology, and approach in humanities, arts, and social sciences.

The idea to create a platform for MA and PhD students to present their research projects emerged after realizing that students engaged in Jewish studies at the graduate level often lack communication and collaboration with other young researchers, teachers and academics in the field. These seminars are established as a place for young researchers to present their research, discuss and share ideas, and raise different research questions with their colleagues.

The (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre (PAScapes) at Vilnius University announces a competition for a long-term research fellowship to carry out the project ‘Cultural Landscapes of (Post)Authoritarian States in the 20th–21st Centuries: Transformations, Models, Environmental Response’.

Young researchers are invited to apply for a research project aimed to analyse, geographically and/or historically, transformations of cultural landscapes and land structures in authoritarian and post-authoritarian countries of the 20th and the 21st centuries, where significant socio-economic structural changes have occurred.

Applications are open until 31 March for the researchers who obtained their PhD in the natural sciences, humanities or social sciences from outside Vilnius University no earlier than five years ago (2019).

The research fellowship will last 24 months from 2 May 2024 to 30 April 2026.

One application will be selected under this call.

More information here

Application form

The Centre for the Study of East European Jewish History at the Vilnius University Department of History together with The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University, Department of Jewish Studies at Wroclaw University, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Lviv Catholic University invites to the series of Graduate and PhD students’ online Seminars dedicated to Jewish history, culture, heritage and memory in Eastern Europe.

Each seminar will be followed by discussion and the presentation of archival sources from YIVO and the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Judaica Centre.

PROGRAM

As many scholars are aware, the historiography of Lithuanian Jewish civilization can lack unity and coherence, segmented as it is by periodic border changes, eruptions of violence, and linguistic, cultural, and ideological divides. Yet the experience of doing research in archives and libraries tends to reinforce continuities, suggesting a much more cohesive civilization. Even the study of the Holocaust stands to benefit from removing the wall that has separated its study from the rest of Lithuanian Jewish history, as historian David Engel recently argued.

Together with Fairfield University and the Yeshiva University Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vilnius University will host an international meeting in Vilnius from July 15 - 17, 2024, dedicated to bridging historiographical, disciplinary, and other conceptual divides. We especially encourage emerging scholars to present their research and hope to provide them with an introduction to the rich holdings of the Lithuanian National Library and State Archives. Presenters are asked to think about the continuities of Lithuanian Jewish culture before, during, and after the Holocaust in areas like biography, geography, language, politics, gender, secularization and traditionalism, literary and artistic production, legal practices, documentation, memory studies, and Jewish-Christian relations.

The organizers will provide the participants with accommodation and meals; a limited number of grants are available to cover travel expenses.