In Between? Bridging Histories: Challenges and Innovations in Documenting European Borderlands
Time: 2025-09-17 14:30 - 16:30
Location: Small Hall at Auditorium Maximum
Chairman: Ewelina Szpak
Events within this Session
"In-Between?" Goes to the Balkans: The 2017 Study Visits in Mostar and the Prespa Lakes Region
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 14:30 - 16:30
Abstract
The presentation draws upon two “In-Between?” 2017 study visits in the Balkans: to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Prespa Lakes region at the Albanian-Greek-North Macedonia’s borderland. Both the sites present somewhat atypical borderlands compared to the previous project’s editions. Mostar, being a unified yet politically and symbolically divided city with a recent history of urban warfare, hosts several ethnic and religious communities that hold different versions of the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav nation- and state-building projects and the wartime experience of the 1990s. The second site bears the complex history of exclusion and refuge, despite the shared lake complex, as well as a history of cross-lake exchanges and communication. This very aspect was invoked just a few months after the study visit when the Prespa Lake region was used as a site - and a historical leverage - for signing the Greek-North Macedonia’s agreement. The presentation will hence aim at mapping the idiosyncrasies of the two borderlands and the study visits - mostly practical, as in logistical, linguistic and political challenges of the fieldwork, the preparatory research and the oral history interviews - and situate the oral history findings within the wider scope and other cases of the project.
Speakers
Digesting Oral History in Broadcast Production
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 14:30 - 16:30
Abstract
Oral history is a lengthy process whereby in-depth interviews are conducted over the course of hours, days, or even weeks. While this method is the best way to fill up archival repositories with individual or community-based narratives, it is time consuming and is too deep for the needs of broadcast production. Is it at all possible to make a 10-minute podcast out of many hours of tape recordings of many different voices? Taking the example of ENRS’s “In Between” project – with which I have collaborated for a number of editions – I will attempt to demonstrate where synergies lie between audio production and oral history methods, proving that they are not necessarily mutually exclusive
Speakers
Reflections on the 2021 Edition of “In Between?” and the Role of Oral History in Challenging Times
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 14:30 - 16:30
Abstract
One of the areas selected for the 2021 edition of the “In Between? - Neighbours Meet in the Borderlands programme was the Polish-Ukrainian borderland: the Ivano-Frankivsk and Lubaczów regions. These territories still bear a number of unresolved issues in collective historical memory and contested heritage, as reflected in the titles of two podcast episodes produced by the Polish-Ukrainian participant’s team: ‘Borders in a Crossing’ and ‘Lost Mosaic of the Borderland.’ Oral history in such contexts reveals its multifunctional potential, serving not only as a scholarly field of study but also as a tool for activism and bridge-building. Taking place between the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of the 2021 edition provides a unique lens through which to reflect on the changing role of oral history. Students who participated in “In Between?” combined in their projects the methods of oral history with those of journalism, reportage, and art, creating a dynamic intersection of innovative formats. Drawing on the experiences of our expedition and the post-production process, I will explore how such interdisciplinary approaches transform oral history research. In addition, the talk will reflect on the multicultural and multilingual challenges faced by the student team during the production of the podcast and how these difficulties were navigated and integrated into the creative process. These reflections aim to highlight the potential of oral history to engage with diverse narratives and foster dialogue in documenting contested spaces in times of challenge.
Speakers
In Between? Exploring Local Histories of European Borderlands
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 14:30 - 16:30
Abstract
In Between?’ is an educational project run by the ENRS (European Network Remembrance and Solidarity) since April 2016. It aims to explore the history of the 20th century and its legacy in past and present border regions. 26 regions or cities in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe have been visited so far by international groups of students with various academic background. The presentation will give an insight to the project, its development, editions and challenges
Speakers
Encounter of Visual History and Oral Testimonies
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 14:30 - 16:30
Abstract
This presentation reflects on the intersection of visual sources and oral histories in the documentation of memory within the In Between? project. Focusing on European borderlands as spaces marked by complex pasts and layered identities, it explores how archival photographs, local landmarks, and personal memorabilia interact with spoken testimonies to co-create narratives of place and belonging. The talk highlights the methodological and ethical dimensions of engaging with both image and voice in post-conflict and post-memory contexts.