Narratives can be used from early on to gauge the gradual escalation of crises and conflicts, but also the large-scale disintegration of expectations, e.g. with a view to the history prior to and after the pivotal year 1989. In the second phase of funding, the IRTG plans to therefore consolidate narratological, discourse-linguistic and empirical approaches in order to improve the understanding of long-term and transregional dynamics of radical changes in the Baltic Sea region. The findings of the first funding phase showed how aesthetic and linguistic upheavals are related to regional political changes and how important narratives are for dealing with serious crises and catastrophic natural phenomena.
Research for the Baltic Sea region: geopolitical challenges
“The approval of the second funding phase is a huge success for the researchers involved and a strong signal for the research performed in the humanities at the University of Greifswald. The IRTG Baltic Peripeties combines outstanding support for early career researchers with research into highly socially relevant issues and, at the same time, strengthens our long-term partnerships in the Baltic Sea region,” says Prof. Dr. Katharina Riedel, Rector of the University of Greifswald.
“In light of the topical geopolitical challenges, the critical investigation of regional and transregional, often conflicting narratives is highly relevant as a component of security architecture, but also with a view to basic concepts of politics, society and culture,” explains Prof. Dr. Eckhard Schumacher, Spokesperson of the IRTG at the University of Greifswald. The further Spokespersons Prof. Dr. Anti Selart and Prof. Dr. Ingvild Folkvord also focus on international perspectives in their research projects: “We aim to understand how shared transformation experiences are reflected in the remembrance culture of the Baltic Sea region,” explains the team.
Trinational qualification programme for doctoral candidates
Up to 30 doctoral candidates at the three locations will profit from the close international collaboration. “It is particularly important to us that researchers at early stages of their careers receive the best possible support for the realisation of their individual research plans. In order to achieve this, we have set up a transnational qualification programme,” emphasizes Dr. Alexander Waszynski, Academic Coordinator of the research network.
Further information
The IRTG 2560 is led by an international team of spokespersons. The Spokesperson at the University of Greifswald is literary scholar Prof. Dr. Eckhard Schumacher, the Deputy Spokesperson is contemporary historian Prof. Dr. Annelie Ramsbrock. The Spokesperson for the University of Tartu is medievalist Prof. Dr. Anti Selart, the Spokesperson for NTNU Trondheim is literary scholar Prof. Dr. Ingvild Folkvord. The Academic Coordinator of the research network is Dr. Alexander Waszynski, University of Greifswald.
Website: https://peripeties.uni-greifswald.de/
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Prof. Dr. Eckhard Schumacher
Spokesperson of IRTG 2560 “Baltic Peripeties”
Department of German Philology
Rubenowstraße 3, 17489 Greifswald
eckhard.schumacheruni-greifswaldde
Contact at NTNU Trondheim
Prof. Dr. Ingvild Folkvord
Department of Language and Literature
Bygg 4, 4516C, Dragvoll, Norway
ingvild.folkvordntnuno
Contact at the University of Tartu
Prof. Dr. Anti Selart
Institute of History and Archaeology
Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu, Estonia
anti.selartutee
