How did cultural interaction since 1945 unfold outside the realm of Western dominance, shaping omitted global narratives? While Cold War studies have long acknowledged the role of culture and the arts as instrument of „soft power,“ scholars have traditionally framed this role within a binary East-West narrative. More recent studies have highlighted the necessity of a complex, interconnected, and global view of this conflict, with a particular focus on the decolonization process. This workshop will explore cultural interactions between state socialist countries in Europe and those in the Global South, with the aim of challenging and deconstructing traditional Cold War narratives.

Organizers of the workshop: Anna-Marie Kroupová & Noémie Étienne (Chair for Cultural Heritage Studies, University of Vienna).

Please submit an abstract (c. 250 words) and a brief bio to anna-marie.kroupova@univie.ac.at by 31 March 2024. Applicants selected by the scientific committee will be notified by 30 April 2024.

Keynote Lecture: Prof Beáta Hock (Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe; Humboldt University of Berlin)

Scientific Committee: Friedrich Cain (University of Vienna), Noémie Étienne (University of Vienna), Beáta Hock (Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe; Humboldt University of Berlin), Dietlind Hüchtker (University of Vienna), Anna-Marie Kroupová (University of Vienna).

Workshop Partners: Faculty Center for Transdisciplinary Historical and Cultural Studies (University of Vienna), FSP Global History (University of Vienna), Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on the Consequences of War, New Cold War Studies Research Group (University of Vienna), Research platform “Transformations and Eastern Europe” (University of Vienna).

More information: CFP_final_Iron Curtains Artistic Gates