East Europe and the Middle East
A symposium run by the Association of Historians working on Eastern Europe (Verband der Osteuropahistorikerinnen und -historiker, e.V., VOH) and the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe Co-organizers: DFG Priority Program 1981 Transottomanica and the Giessen Center for Eastern European Studies (GiZo), in cooperation with the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Philipps University Marburg (CNMS)
Marburg, 11th – 12th April 2019
The relationship between East European countries and the Middle East was a focus of public interest before the war in Syria, but it has become particularly topical since then on account of Russia’s involvement in the conflict.
It is clear that the Soviet Union’s Middle East policy including its position against Israel, which was supported by Arab forces – is still existent in present-day
politics. However, the historical relationships between the relevant empires, namely the Russian Empire, the Habsburg monarchy, Poland-Lithuania and the Ottoman
Empire, have been seldom suffi ciently examined, both in terms of historical depth and supra-regional breadth. Equally inadequate has been the research
on the stances East European countries took towards the Middle East and “Middle East Confl ict” in the 20th century.
Relevant questions and topics could include:
- Transfer, interdependence and exchange
- The image of the Middle East
- The image of Eastern Europe in the Middle East
- Socialist “development aid” and imperialism
- System critique, reforms, unrest and war
- Migration
These and, if necessary, further discussions and questions will form the central focus of the symposium. The event will promote international exchange and follow an interdisciplinary approach.