What is Central Europe and what is Eastern Europe ? The name of the region in the academic discourse in Poland and France

Le Centre de recherche Europes-Eurasie (CREE, Inalco) et l’Institut d’études politiques (ISP) de l’Académie des Sciences polonaises (PAN) ont le plaisir de vous inviter à la conférence : “What is Central Europe and what is Eastern Europe ? The name of the region in the academic discourse in Poland and France” qui se déroulera en ligne le lundi 21 mars 2022 de 10h à 12h et de 14h à 16h. 

Date : Lundi 21 mars 2022 – 10h-12h et 14h-16h 
Lieu : En ligne 
Modalité : Distanciel

Les personnes souhaitant participer à cet événement sont priées de confirmer leur présence avant le 17 mars 2022 en s’inscrivant par courrier électronique en précisant leur nom, prénom, statut et institution de rattachement à l’adresse suivante : zeswibp@isppan.waw.pl.
Un lien zoom vous sera envoyé quelques jours avant l’événement.

This conference aims to revisit a still open debate on the naming of the central part of Europe in the academic discourse in Poland and France. A wide variety of terms are used today to describe the area that lies between Germany and Russia, between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas. There are for example terms Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Central-Eastern Europe, East Central Europe and Europe médiane. However, the absence of a clear definition of the region, the disparity of the countries it covers and the stakes that each denomination entails continue to challenge researchers on the most appropriate terms to use.

Thus, while Poland is one of the major players in what is known as Central Europe, France is taking an off-center look at a region that it has long considered to be the edge of empires. A dialogue between Polish and French researchers and academics promises to be full of interesting exchanges as their respective countries have differentiated relationships with the region.

Conference programme

I PANEL

10:00 – 12:00 : Moderator : Léa Xailly, Ph.D. student (Europes-Eurasia Research Centre, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco)

10:00 – 10:10 : CONFERENCE OPENING

Greetings from the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences authorities

10:10 – 10:25 : Wojciech Roszkowski, Professor (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences) – Central Europe or East Central Europe ?

10:25 – 10:40 : Agnieszka Orzelska-Stączek, Professor (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences) – From Eastern Europe through Central-Eastern Europe to Central Europe. What is Central Europe today ?

10:40 – 10:55 : Marek Więckowski, Professor (Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences), co-authors: Emmanuelle Boulineau, Professor (The École normale supérieure de Lyon) and Lydia Coudroy de Lille, Professor (University Lyon 2) – Central and Eastern Europe, Europe médiane: identity and borders of an in-between Europe in French and Polish geographies

10:55 – 11:10 : Jakub Olchowski Ph.D., Szczepan Czarnecki Ph.D student (Institute of Central Europe, Lublin) – Central Europe: theory and praxis – perspective of Institute of Central Europe in Lublin

11:10 – 12:00 : Discussion

II PANEL

14:00 – 16:00 : Moderator : Agnieszka Cianciara, Professor (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences)

14:00 – 14:15 : Paweł Kowal, Professor (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences) – The “Jagiellonian idea” as the source of the Polish tradition of thinking about Central Europe

14:15 – 14:30 : Étienne Boisserie, Professor (Europes-Eurasia Research Centre, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) – Central or Eastern Europe? How to define the area in history teaching ?

14:30 – 14:45 : Paul Gradvohl, Professor (Research Centre for Contemporary Central European History, University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne) – Security as a key to cope with Central/Middle Europe in modern times

14:45 – 15:00 : Paweł Ukielski Ph.D. (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences) – East-Central Europe in the thought of Oskar Halecki and Jenő Szűcs as a reference point for contemporary academic discourse

15:00 – 16:00 : Discussion 

Organisation : 

Agnieszka Orzelska-Stączek, Professor (ISP PAN)
Marzena Czernicka, Ph.D. (ISP PAN)
Konrad Świder, Ph.D. (ISP PAN)
Léa Xailly, Ph.D. student (CREE, Inalco)

Contact : lea.xailly@inalco.fr