PIMs Annual Research Conference: Spaces of Victimhood in Eastern Europe

Keynote: Prof Dirk Moses (CUNY)
Organisers: Jessie Barton Hronesova, Pawel Bukowski

The conference Spaces of Victimhood will explore how memories of oppression, dislocation, marginalisation, economic exploitation and trauma shape identities and a sense of belonging to a place in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe.

This conference will investigate, through a multidisciplinary approach, how territories and spaces with histories of suffering, exploitation, and/or marginalisation cultivate distinct yet overlapping narratives of victimhood. These narratives, in turn, influence personal and collective identities, political engagement, and social divisions.

Central to our discussions will be the concepts of victimhood – as multifactorial experiences caused by direct, historical or structural harms, suffering and marginalisation – and place attachment, which highlights the emotional and cultural bonds people form with the spaces they inhabit. The conference panels will explore a range of topics, such as, but not exclusive to the spatially defined psychological, socio-economic, and political dimensions of grievances, how they contribute to the formation of collective identities, and the role of agency and institutions in creating such identities. Equally, the conference will examine how spatially defined identities are communicated to exacerbate polarization but also help bridge societal divides.

We invite contributions for scholars working on topics in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (and beyond) such as:

1. Place attachment and identity;
2. Victimhood narratives and politics;
3. Politics of anger and grievances linked to memory;
4. Trauma, memory and place;
5. The effects of marginalization and social exclusion on identities;
6. The long-run effects of local economic deprivation on people’s lives;
7. Rural-urban tensions.

Please submit your abstracts with a short biography by 30 April 2025, by using this Form:

Abstract Submission Form

We have a very limited budget to cover either accommodation for one night or travel. Please indicate on the form which type of funding you will need.

Find out more about Places, Identities and Memories (PIMs).