Forum on Central and Eastern Europe - KU Leuven

01/06/2026

What does it mean for a country to become a “transit” state—geography or choice? And how do such choices reshape the rights and lived realities of those seeking refuge?
In the latest episode of Studio Central and Eastern Europe, Denitsa Marchevska speaks with Dr Julija Sardelić (Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington) about her new book, Refugee Protection Crises and Transit Europe (Springer, 2025).
Together, they trace how states in Central and South-East Europe have repeatedly fashioned themselves as “temporary waypoints”—a stance that narrows their obligations and reframes refugee crises as crises of protection. The conversation situates these dynamics within a hierarchical, racialised international refugee regime, and reflects more broadly on borders, belonging, and the politics of mobility in contemporary Europe.
A rich and timely discussion—do listen.

What does it mean for a country to become “transit”? Is this a matter of geography, or a political choice? And how do such choices reshape the rights and lived realities of those seeking refuge? In this episode of Studio Central and Eastern Europe, Denitsa Marchevska speaks with Dr Julija Sardel...

05/05/2026

Wonderful and truly enlightening evening at Cinema ZED. The screening, organised with the generous support of the Polish Institute – Brussels, was followed by a most rewarding discussion. Our special thanks to Kris Van Heuckelom and Konrad Klejsa for his exceptionally informative talk, which illuminated the film’s iconic scenes, their dense historical and cultural references, and the considerable political risks Wajda took in making the film under communist censorship. A memorable encounter with a classic that continues to provoke and inspire!

15/04/2026

On 21 April 2026, the European Court of Justice will deliver its long-awaited judgement in an historical case where the European Commission, for the first time ever, took Hungary to Europe’s highest court for a violation of “European Values” because of its anti-LGBT laws. Why could this judgement be a game-changer for European law? Why were European values not invoked before in courts? What are the risks when judges start using values? And more broadly: is it a coincidence that Central European Countries such as Poland and Hungary are, once more, accused of disrespecting Europe’s values and principles? And how do these countries defend themselves before the court in Luxembourg?

In this episode of Studio Central and Eastern Europe these and other questions are discussed by Antoine Bailleux, who is a professor in European Law at UCLouvain, in a conversation with Wim Weymans, who, until recently, held the Chair in European Values at UCLouvain and who is also a Research Affiliate at LINES (KU Leuven).

On 21 April 2026 the European Court of Justice will deliver its long-awaited judgement in an historical case where the European Commission, for the first time ever, took Hungary to Europe’s highest court for a violation of “European Values” because of its anti-LGBT laws. Why could this judgeme...

09/04/2026

Writer Emine Sadka (Caravane for Ravens) will be one of the speakers at our forthcoming event Minority Citizenship in Backsliding Democracy: The Case of Bulgaria. More&Register: https://fcee.substack.com/p/minority-citizenship-in-backsliding

20/03/2026

When a celebrated Ukrainian writer doubles as a volunteer soldier, his writing cannot help but resound with urgency. A discussion at Boekarest explores how Zjadan’s Arabeski reaches Dutch audiences without losing its music. Save a seat for our forthcoming event next Thursday (in Dutch).

📅 26 March 2026 🕢 17:30📍 Boekarest Bookstore, Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein 12, 3000 Leuven. Register on the link in the first comment.

16/03/2026

From a distance, objectivity looks almost effortless—one of the presumed privileges of studying war. But what if the scholar has survived the very conflict they seek to analyse? If you missed our event with Vjosa Musliu, our new podcast will draw you into this compelling conversation. (link in the first comment)

In this episode of Studio Central and Eastern Europe, the Kosovo-born and Belgium-based scholar and writer joins PhD researcher at KU Leuven Njomëza Mulhaxha Musliu to discuss her book Girlhood at War. Blending personal narrative with political reflection, Musliu probes how lived experience can inform, unsettle, and deepen academic inquiry into conflict and its aftermath.

12/03/2026

This superbly interesting topic - the environmental history of one of the most splendid Polish cities, Krakow, is fast approaching. Save the date and register! (Details and registration link in the first comment).

🗓 19 March 2026, 17:30📍 Collegium Veteranorum (109-20), Sint-Michielsstraat 2-4 , Mgr. O. Romerozaal 02.10, 3000 Leuven.

11/03/2026

Belgian journalist Wouter Hillaert will be among our guests tonight.
Wouter Hillaert is a freelance cultural journalist who has been writing since 2002. He currently covers performing arts for De Standaard, where he also published a reportage on the Serbian cultural scene following a short visit to Belgrade in 2025.
From 2003 to 2019 he was an editor of Recto Verso, the free cultural magazine dedicated to arts and society.
Beyond journalism, Wouter teaches the course ‘Artist in Society’ at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and works as a dramaturg and moderator. He is also known for his longstanding civic engagement, having taken part in movements such as the Flemish anti‑austerity coalition Hart boven Hard (2014–2020) and the artist platform State of the Arts (2019–2022), both committed to resisting cuts in culture.
More about his work:
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/wouter-hillaert-02426013a/
📌 Today is the last chance to register!
👉 https://soc.kuleuven.be/lines/fcee/event-participation
ℹ️ Full event details and the complete programme:
👉 https://fcee.substack.com/p/institutional-resilience-liberated?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true&_src_ref=soc.kuleuven.be

10/03/2026

One of our guests tomorrow will be Ivanja Todorović, a visual artist currently studying New Media at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade. His post‑media practice spans performance, installation, video, photography, and poetry. Working largely in public space, he collaborates with marginalized groups, challenges systems of control, and investigates the political potential of art.
He has taken part in numerous projects and group exhibitions, among them J riječ at Kvart Gallery in Split, April Meetings 2025 at Oslobođeni SKC in Belgrade, and Influenca at Podroom Gallery, KCB. His work has also appeared at festivals such as BINA – Urban Video Projections, Blokadni Fest at Oslobođeni SKC, and Import/Export at U10 Art Space.
During the 2024/25 anti‑regime protests, Todorović was closely involved in shaping the Oslobođeni SKC programme, contributing to events including 48 Hours, the March 8 exhibition, Archaeology of SKC, April Meetings 2025, and Monetarium. He received the Telekom Award in 2023.
https://skc.news/

It is still not too late to reserve a place for the discussion tomorrow: Institutional Resilience: Liberated Students’ Art Center (SKC) and the Subversive Potential of Art in Serbia.
Read more: https://fcee.substack.com/p/institutional-resilience-liberated?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true&_src_ref=soc.kuleuven.be

🗓 11 March 2026, 18:00📍 Hollands College, Pater Damiaanplein 9, 3000 Leuven. Register here: https://soc.kuleuven.be/lines/fcee/event-participation

06/03/2026

Ana Stojković and Milica Pekić will be our guests at the event on 11 March, at Hollands College (Leuven), dedicated to art and political protest in contemporary Serbia.

Ana Stojković is a visual artist and researcher at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade. Her practice centres on institutional critique, social control, and the tensions of contemporary society. She co‑authored the project IzložiSe with curator Dunja Belić at U10 Art Space (2024), initiating new forms of collaboration between art and art history students. In 2025, she curated and participated in the exhibition Delo at Fabrikraum in Vienna. She has also been actively involved in the planning and realisation of the Liberated Student Cultural Centre during the 2024/25 anti‑regime protests in Serbia.

Milica Pekić, PhD, is an art historian and curator based in Belgrade. Her research focuses on avant‑garde artistic practices, alternative forms of collective authorship, collaborative art practices, institutional transformation, and interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary art production and art historical research. Actively engaged in the civil cultural sector for nearly two decades, she is the co‑founder of the KIOSK art collective, within which she explores the relationship between art and society. KIOSK is among the founding members of the Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia and KOOPERATIVA – the Regional Platform for Culture.

Find the full programme of the event and to register: https://open.substack.com/pub/fcee/p/institutional-resilience-liberated?r=5k6zj3&utm_medium=ios