ZOiS - Zentrum für Osteuropa- und internationale Studien

21/08/2026

Am Montag begeht die Ukraine ihren 35. Unabhängigkeitstag.

In die viel längere Geschichte der Bestrebungen nach einem ukrainischen Staat führt Historikerin Bozhena Kozakevych von der Europa-Universität Viadrina auf unserem Youtube-Kanal.

Das Video ist Teil eines Glossars der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb) und des ZOiS. In der Reihe „Was man über die Ukraine wissen sollte“ erklären Wissenschaftler*innen in 13 kompakten Videos Grundbegriffe, die zum Verständnis der heutigen Ukraine beitragen.

Für alle, die zugängliche und schnelle Erklärungen suchen, etwa im Klassenzimmer oder in der Familie, hier geht es zum gesamten Glossar: https://www.zois-berlin.de/mediathek/was-man-ueber-die-ukraine-wissen-sollte

Am 24. August 1991 erklärte das ukrainische Parlament die Unabhängi...

18/08/2026

KIUrious – Interview Series

The dismissal of Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has sparked nationwide protests.

What do these demonstrations reveal about the relationship between political leadership and civil society in Ukraine? And what role do public protests play in democratic decision-making during wartime?

In our new interview, Susann Worschech — social scientist, Ukraine expert and KIU Academic Coordinator — discusses what the protests tell us about the strength of Ukrainian civil society and the challenges of democratic participation during war.

👉 Read the full interview on our website.
🔗 https://www.kiu.europa-uni.de/en/publications/kiurious/kiurious-12/index.html

Supported by with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA).

Europa-Universität Viadrina Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies VCPU Freie Universität Berlin ZOiS - Zentrum für Osteuropa- und internationale Studien Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Susann Worschech

13/08/2026

CfA: Three full-time postdoctoral research positions

The Research Centre Ukraine (RCU) / Max Weber Foundation invites applications for three full-time postdoctoral research positions, offered on fixed-term contracts until April 2030. The positions are based in Lviv, Ukraine, and are expected to commence as soon as possible.

The appointments form part of the four-year research project ‘Rethinking Europe: Ukrainian History as Entangled History’, based at the RCU and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt

Please submit your application in English or German as a single PDF document to the project’s PI, Iryna Klymenko, by 7 September 2026. More details and the application link are available via https://karriere.maxweberstiftung.de/jobposting/ba1c549bf5f2517294b54f50b8d9b8460db1ead40

Max Weber Stiftung

12/08/2026

How has your summer been so far?

Many researchers use it as a focused writing phase – although the time constraints of academia and everyday life never truly stop.

As part the Ukraine Research Network@ZOiS , the workshop series 'Get your research out there' brought together researchers with experienced peers to learn and exchange notes of effective communication.

Writing tips for fast publishing from the session with ZOiS senior researcher Félix Krawatzek are permanently accessible as visual notes (for downloading and printing) in English and Ukrainian on the UNET site.

Get a sneak peak here, and go see all slides on the UNET site: https://www.zois-berlin.de/forschung/drittmittelprojekte/unet/get-your-research-out-there-workshop-series/the-speed-of-light-how-to-publish-shorter-and-faster-pieces-in-academic-outlets

Notes created by Julia Knyupa, workshop series by UNET coordinator Anastasiya Leukhina.

06/08/2026

How do feminists in Serbia and Russia deal with both the stigma of ‘foreign ideology’ by their governments and Othering within (Western) feminist theory?

I a new ZOiS Meet the Author, communications trainee Angelika Markowska talks to political scientist and ZOiS research affiliate Leandra Bias about her new book ‘Under Authoritarian Eyes’ 👇

‘Feminism is framed as nothing less than a military strategy’

06/08/2026

📣 Looking for a community of fellow researchers dedicated to investigating the dynamics of conflict and cooperation in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, or the Caucasus? The KonKoop Research Network has just launched a Call for Expressions of Interest for its new Early Careers Lab.

Coordinated by the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, this Lab initiative is an academic incubator that provides various – free – opportunities for your professional development:

🔹 Receive vital research support and professional skills training.

🔹 Have access to advice and support from the wider KonKoop network and be able to develop various skill sets from the range of tools within it.

🔹 Engage in mutual knowledge transfer and science communication, supporting each other’s scholarship.

This call is especially relevant for researchers based at German institutions or those with a biographical background in the target regions who study themes such as peace and conflict, borders, war and trauma, or nationalism.

📅 Deadline for applications: 10 September 2026.
🔗 Download the call and find all details: https://leibniz-ios.de/en/knowledge-transfer/news/newsdetail/konkoop-early-career-lab

Funded by – the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, KonKoop (Cooperation and Conflict in Eastern Europe) is a joint project by ZOiS - Zentrum für Osteuropa- und internationale Studien, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL), Universität Jena, Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde, Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung Potsdam / ZZF and the IOS.

05/08/2026

Also available in English: The ZOiS Annual Report 2025!

Each year, the report provides an overview of the research conducted across our five clusters and cross-cutting projects, our research communication, and the organisational structure of ZOiS, and much more.

Additionally, it includes insights into the topics that preoccupied ZOiS over the last year. In 2025, we dealt with synergies between East European Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies, social media in the era of Big Tech, research ethics, and sustainability efforts.

📕 Read now: https://www.zois-berlin.de/en/publications/zois-annual-report-2025

04/08/2026

kind reminder.

Viadrinicum 2026 is designed in collaboration with ZOiS - Zentrum für Osteuropa- und internationale Studien and with kind support of Eberhard-Schöck-Stiftung.

04/08/2026

Are you are a researcher interested in one of ZOiS's subjects?
From democracy and authoritarianism, border and conflict studies, youth and generational change, migration, or political economy in or from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the South Caucasus and more:

To strengthen academic networks and further research cooperation, ZOiS regularly hosts guest researchers from all over the world.

Residencies are:
🎓 open to all career levels
🤝 carried out as part of external funding programmes

The next deadline for applications and requests for letters of intent is in four weeks!
Find out more 👉 https://www.zois-berlin.de/en/about-us/vacancies/residencies-for-guest-researchers-at-zois