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Biographical Research in Central and Eastern Europe: Traditions and Challenges

An international workshop called Biographical Research in Central and Eastern Europe: Traditions and Challenges will take place at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, on 3 and 4 June 2024.

The workshop aims to bring together scholars focusing on theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of biographical research (mainly) set in Central and Eastern European countries and to initiate their discussion with key figures in the biographical network: Professor Hans Renders, a renowned biographer, historian and editor of the Biography Studies series at Brill, and Doctor David Veltman, both from the Biography Institute at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. The goal is to discuss general topics as well as (potential) regional specifics. We will pay attention to the problems of finding and applying the theoretical background of our research, crossovers of biography and microhistory, and methodological challenges of such an approach. We will also try to consider the question of which – if any – influence the post-communist past may have on the character of biographical research in this region.

WORKSHOP PROGRAM

Date: June 3–4 2024

Place: Room 1.21, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Pátkova 2137/5, Prague 8, Czechia

Contact: Jana Wohlmuth Markupová, Ph.D.

Monday 3 June

10:15 Opening (Hans Renders, Jana Wohlmuth Markupová)

10:30–12:30 Roundtable Session I: Biography in Central and Eastern Europe

14:00–16:00 Roundtable Session II: Various Forms of Biography 

Tuesday 4 June

10:30–12:30 Roundtable Session III: Theory and Ethics of Biographical Research

14:00–16:00 Roundtable Session IV: Student Section

16:00 Closing Remarks (David Veltman, Jana Wohlmuth Markupová)

The workshop will be held in English without translation.

Full program

Confirmed participants:

Ákos Bartha (Institute of History, Research Center for the Humanities, Hungarian Research Network, Budapest, Hungary)

Tereza Eisenreichová (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia)

Štěpánka Grunová (Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia)

Přemysl Houda (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia)

Bohumil Jiroušek (Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czechia)

Michal Kšiňan (Institute of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia)

Jiří Němec (Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia)

Hans Renders (Biography Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Václav Sixta (Philosophical Faculty, University of Hradec Králové, Czechia)

Sabina Štaubertová (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia)

David Veltman (Biography Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Anna West (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia)

Jana Wohlmuth Markupová (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia)

Petr Wohlmuth (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia)

If you are interested in participating, please contact Jana Wohlmuth Markupová.