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The Transform4Europe Alliance invites academic and non-academic staff of partner universities to join the Professional Development Training. The webinars that will take place from September to November 2024
Registration is now open for September courses:

Team Building and Conflict Resolution (for non-academic staff)
September 16, 12.00–14.00 CET. MS TEAMS.
Lecturer : João Matos, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Description: The webinar will help participants recognize that conflicts aren’t always something negative to be avoided at all costs. In fact, conflict can have a positive aspect, potentially leading to increased productivity, a deeper understanding of the other party’s interests, and improved communication.

AI-driven Innovations in ICT-based Education (for academic staff)
September 18, 14.00–16.00 CET. MS TEAMS.
Lecturer: Vigilija Žiūraitė, Vytautas Magnus University.
Description: Participants will gain valuable insights into how AI can create personalized learning content and how ICT tools can be seamlessly integrated to enhance teaching and learning across different subjects. The seminar will explore practical strategies for developing interactive, adaptive learning environments and boosting student engagement and outcomes through the innovative application of AI and ICT.

Artificial Intelligence tools in practice (for non-academic staff)
September 25, 9.000–11.00 CET. MS TEAMS.
Lecturer: Albena Antonova, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
Description: This webinar offers a brief overview of general theoretical models, highlighting the benefits and challenges associated with AI tools. It then presents various practical examples of how AI can be applied to improve administrative efficiency, data analysis, and communication. Additionally, the webinar explores how AI can enhance communication through personalized outreach, social media management, and language translation services.

Artificial Intelligence Tools for Innovative Teaching (for academic staff)
September 27, 9.00–11.00 CET. MS TEAMS.            
Lecturer: Augustinas Balaišis, Vytautas Magnus University.
Description: This webinar will introduce essential artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can be utilized in innovative teaching methods. Participants will discover how to effectively incorporate these tools into their teaching practices. The lecturer will showcase how AI tools can be leveraged to create interactive and personalized learning experiences.

Call for papers: Between Contestation and Proclamation: Cultural Heritage in Border Struggles and (Cross-)Border Alliances.

On 17-18 October 2024, Saarland University (UniGR-Center for Border Studies), in partnership with the University of Katowice (Silesian Center for the Study of Regional and Transborder Memory) and the University of Trieste (CRMCS – Centro di Ricerca sulle Migrazioni e la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo) will host the T4EU Regional Heritage Workshop on issues of cultural heritage in contexts of border struggles and (cross-) border alliances.

By questioning the assumption of the prerequisite of common heritage in border contestations, contributions may highlight how cultural heritage both incites and results from border conflicts and cooperative efforts.

Heritage often becomes a contested terrain, where claims to historical and cultural continuity fuel geopolitical disputes and migration-related struggles. Simultaneously, shared (or proclaimed) heritage can be a powerful catalyst for cross-border alliances, fostering collaboration and peace-building initiatives. This dual role of heritage underscores its complexity: it serves as both a divisive force in border conflicts and a unifying element in transnational cooperation.

We welcome submissions for panels (up to three papers) and individual papers (20 minutes maximum), as well as workshop and roundtable proposals. Please submit your abstract (300 words maximum) and a brief bio-bibliographical note to  borderstudies@uni-saarland.de by 4 August 2024.

Contact: Eva Nossem, e.nossem@mx.uni-saarland.de

UNIGR-CBS JUBILEE CONFERENCE: 10 YEARS OF BORDER STUDIES IN THE GREATER REGION

17-18 October 2024 – Innovation Centre, Saarland University

Border struggles” encapsulates a spectrum of struggles, troubles, conflicts, and contestations surrounding the demarcation, management, and particularly the crossing of borders. These struggles manifest in various forms, ranging from the physical act of traversing borders to the ideological and political disputes over their legitimacy and control. In the context of migration, border struggles include the perilous journeys of individuals and groups seeking refuge or better opportunities, often in the face of stringent border controls and restrictive immigration policies.

These struggles are not merely physical but also symbolic, as they challenge notions of sovereignty, identity, and belonging. And they are represented in cultural texts, literature, films, and media. In war and conflict, border struggles involve the contentious processes of territorial reconfiguration, where borders are not only contested lines on a map but also sites of violent clashes and geopolitical maneuvering.

These conflicts underscore the fluid and often arbitrary nature of borders, reflecting broader historical and cultural tensions. Furthermore, border struggles can also be understood through the lens of social and economic disparities, where marginalized communities grapple with exclusionary practices that reinforce boundaries of inequality. Thus, border struggles are multifaceted, encompassing the geopolitical, socio-economic, and cultural dimensions of human mobility and territoriality, reflecting broader dynamics of power, resistance, and negotiation.

We invite panel (up to 3 papers) and paper (20 minutes max.) submissions focusing on “Border Struggles and (Cross-)Border Alliances” in their complexity, zooming in on:

• Migration and Mobility
• Social and Economic Inequalities
• Culture and Language, particularly in relation to Questions of Identity and Heritage
• Environmental and Resource Management
• Legal and Human Rights Issues
• Historical Developments of Border Regions
• Theoretical and Methodological Contributions

We welcome panel and paper submissions from the UniGR-CBS scholars and equally from senior and junior border studies scholars from across the globe.

Panels should be designed for 90 minutes; individual papers for 20 minutes plus Q&A. The conference languages are English, French, and German (no translation). Abstracts can be handed in in either language.

Please send your abstract (300 words max. per paper) and a short bio-bibliographical blurb to borderstudies@uni-saarland.de by 4 August 2024.

Contact: Eva Nossem borderstudies@uni-saarland.de

We list below the students selected to participate in the first T4EU Bootcamp, which will take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, from 10th to 12th September 2024.