Round Table Discussion / ScienceLounge „Global Perspectives on Societal Challenges in Eastern Europe: Focus on Russia, Belarus and China“

The Round Table Discussion / ScienceLounge focuses on the topic „Global Perspectives on Societal Challenges in Eastern Europe: Focus on Russia, Belarus and China“

The concept of crisis has recently been heavily influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic and its social, economic, public health, and foreign policy implications. Other dynamics that have posed particular challenges to societies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in recent years, and rightfully worried or alarmed the international community, have often been eclipsed by the impressions of the pandemic and the reign of numbers.

While the protests in Belarus, triggered by the 2020 presidential election, and their harsh suppression are still on the minds of many, the massive forest fires and melting of the permafrost in Russia seem to have faded from people’s minds, along with the pandemic-induced withdrawal of „Fridays-for-Future“ demonstrations from the streets. The Chinese government’s concern for networking societies („people-to-people relations“) through the Belt and Road Initiative sounds cooperative and overall positive for the promotion of global trade – in any case, the “Silk Road” is far away from Germany and its national interests. Or are the regional and transregional impacts of this large-scale infrastructure initiative relevant after all to global dynamics and the positioning of individual countries?

This roundtable discussion, moderated by researcher and artist Andrey Vozyanov, takes a step back from day-to-day Corona discussion and the societal and individual challenges the pandemic poses, and looks at the dynamics that have affected societies in Russia, China, and Belarus in recent years – and also tested international responses and solidarities. Invited guest speakers from history, political sciences and geography will present exemplary aspects of their research on the three countries and discuss together with the interested public how to deal with global challenges that have moved somewhat into the background, climate change, populism, restriction of press freedom, to name just a few, and what the developments in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia can tell uns with regard to social cohesion, solidarity and global change.

Date: 15 July 2021, 3:30-5:00 pm (CEST)
Venue: online
Guests: Benjamin Beuerle, Iryna Herasimovich, Lela Rekhviashvili
Languages: German/English (with simultaneous interpretation)

For registration, more information and the Youtube-Livestream-Link, see our event calendar.

The event is part of the GLOBE21 Festival. After a kick-off from 9 June to 9 July 2021, the festival will take place from 14 July to 17 July 2021. The science festival is organised by the Research Center Global Dynamics at the University of Leipzig with international partners. Under the hashtag #BorderCrossingSolidarities, GLOBE21 asks: How does global cohesion work in pandemic times?