In 2015, the notion of the Balkan route gained popularity as hundreds of thousands of people fled the conflicts in the Middle East and made their way from Greece towards Central Europe. The arrival of these refugees was and still is the subject of a controversial debate, however, the term Balkan route itself was hardly the matter of criticism. Nevertheless, talking about the Balkan route not only means talking about infrastructures of human mobility, but carried some problematic assumptions about migration always pointing westwards as well as about the region itself as a non-European transit zone. There is in fact a long history of people and goods crossing the region, coming from or leaving in multiple directions. Taking the example of Rijeka and Cres, the study trip deals with different forms of mobilities on and across the Balkans, asking about the various ways in which people and goods moved and were being moved and critically inspecting the very notion of the Balkan route by analysing it in terms of the ideas and concepts of mobility and (European) belonging it perpetuates. By visiting sights and museums and by exchanging ideas in workshops and lectures, the participants explore various ways of entangled mobilities in Rijeka and beyond. 

Program

Thursday, April 7    Preparatory Meeting (Online)

9.15-10.45
Introduction to the Balkan Route(s) seminar with all project partners

Monday, April 18

16:30         
City tour: The Industrial Heritage of Rijeka

Tuesday, April 19

9:00         
Getting around with CAS fellow Roswitha Kersten-Pejanić

11:00         
Visit to the City Museum of Rijeka 

13:30-18:00     
Workshop at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka   

13.30
Introduction: Student mobilities: Erasmus and beyond 

13.45 – 14.45
Lecture by Sanja Puljar D'Alessio and Boris Ružić: The Balkan Route in Gorski Kotar: A Dual Perspective 

15.00 – 16.30
Lecture by Vjeran Pavlaković: D’Annunzio’s Rijeka: Revolutionary Rave or First Fascist State? 

16.45 – 18.00
Student Roundtables: Mobilities, collaborations, engagements 

18.30         
Joint dinner

Wednesday, April 20

9:00         
Excursion to Opatija

11:00         
Visit to the Croatian Museum of Tourism

16:00        
Visit to the Trsat castle
       OR Meeting with NGOs working on Human Rights and Civic Education 

Thursday, April 21 

10:00     
Visit to the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral 

14:30         
Joint departure to Cres

15:55         
Arrival in Cres

16:30     
Moise Palache, Cres: Exhibition tour Graffitied Memoryscapes by Roswitha Kersten-Pejanić, Vjeran Pavlaković, Kevin Kenjar and Eric Ušić

Lecture by Nikolina Židek: The Ustasha Ratlines in 1945: Do all the Routes lead to Rome? 

Get-together with CAS fellows

Friday, April 22

13:00         
Departure to Rijeka

16:00         
Arrival in Rijeka 

16.30        
Guided Visit to the Rijeka Railway Station: A Cultural History of Mobility Nodes

Thursday, May 5     Follow-up Meeting (Online)

9:00-13:00     
Wrap-Up of the Seminar & Future Cooperation

Contact:

For virtual meetings links, on site participation and further questions please contact: roswitha.kersten-pejanic@uniri.hr

Organizing Committee: 

• Lea Horvat, Leipzig University/Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Elisa Satjukow, Leipzig University
• Philipp Schäfer, Institute for Migration and Intercultural Studies, University of Osnabrück
• Sanja Bojanić & Roswitha Kersten-Pejanić, Center for Advanced Studies Rijeka
• Alenka Ambroz, University of Nova Gorica
• Boris Ružić & Vjeran Pavlaković, Cultural Studies Department, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka