Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies

10/13/2026

The Wirth Institute is pleased to share that our Director, Dr. Dominique Reill, will be a featured presenter at the upcoming Recentring the Humanities: Ukraine and the World International Symposium, hosted by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies in Edmonton!

We encourage you to join this important international symposium in person or online. Learn more and register at: https://www.cius-50.ca/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU7kuJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMUd3NXNtU3pqNEp4UkJOWExzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeA4KKPwT4m2oUbUV3C5SFc85_HdFsSmExQZry96e2g20Nxflot9Mci0uwQTw_aem_HKeSHQNkdfPsVtNaEmg2hQ

10/05/2026

We are pleased to be able to support this exiting talk! Join us this Wednesday, October 7th at 2pm.

Follow the QR code or the link below to register:

https://forms.gle/oXKGMpvaUgV622Rv7

09/25/2026

🎬 Polish Week 2026: What a great start! 🇵🇱

We’ve had a wonderful first two days of Polish Week 2026: Resistance and Resilience – 100 Years of Wajda!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our lunchtime screenings of Man of Iron and Man of Hope, and to our wonderful speakers, Professor Bożena Karwowska and Professor Ewa Fiuk, for sharing their expertise and helping us explore Andrzej Wajda’s remarkable cinematic legacy.

And, of course, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, shared their perspectives, and helped make these events so engaging. Your participation is what makes Polish Week such a special celebration of Polish culture, history, and cinema.

But we’re not finished yet! 🎥☕️

Join us for the rest of Polish Week:

📍 Central European Café — TODAY, Friday, Sept. 25, 2:00–3:30 p.m., Henderson Hall, Rutherford Library

🇵🇱 Lunch & conversation on Wajda’s art with the Polish community — Saturday, Sept. 26, 1:00 p.m., Senate Chamber

🎬 Afterimage (2016) — Saturday, Sept. 26, 3:30 p.m., Metro Cinema, followed by a Q&A with Professors Bożena Karwowska and Ewa Fiuk.

🎶 Join us for Identity & Roots with Rafael Hoekman!
The Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton’s 2026/27 season marks a special 10-year milestone, celebrating a decade of fearless music-making in Edmonton — Sunday, Sept. 27, 3:00 p.m., St. Andrew’s United Church, 9915 148 St NW

We hope to see you there as we continue celebrating 100 Years of Wajda! 🇵🇱🎬



Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta

09/24/2026

🎶 Celebrate the International Day of Music with an afternoon of music, scholarship, and performance!

Join us Thursday, October 1 at 4:30 p.m. for a special lecture-recital featuring musicologist Alexander Carpenter, who will introduce his upcoming book, Musical Landmarks: Arnold Schoenberg, Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23.

The lecture will be followed by live performances of works by Schoenberg and Webern, featuring pianist Roger Admiral and violinist Guillaume Tardif.

📅 Thursday, October 1 | 4:30 p.m.
📍 Studio 2-7, Fine Arts Building, North Campus

🎟️ Free to attend — everyone is welcome!

Learn more: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/music/concert-listings/2026-10-01_international-day-of-music.html

09/22/2026

A fantastic way to round out Polish Week 2026, and there's still time to get our tickets! 🎵🎻

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/season-ticket-for-celebrating-10-seasons-of-fearless-music

🎵 Join us for Identity & Roots with Rafael Hoekman!

The Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton’s 2026/27 season marks a special 10-year milestone, celebrating a decade of fearless music-making in Edmonton.

The season continues with a special afternoon of music exploring heritage, memory, and connection. Cellist Rafael Hoekman brings a rich and passionate program featuring works by Pēteris Vasks, Andrzej Panufnik, and Grażyna Bacewicz.

📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 3 PM
📍 St. Andrew’s United Church, 9915 148 St NW, Edmonton

Experience the beauty and power of Central and Eastern European music live!

For tickets and more information, visit: https://www.chamberorchestraofedmonton.ca/

09/22/2026

We can't wait for you to join us for Polish Week 2026! 🎥 🇵🇱

SAVE THE DATE -- Polish Week returns this September!

🎬 Save the Date!

Join us for Resistance and Resilience – 100 Years of Wajda! during Polish Week 2026 (September 21–26) as we celebrate the centenary of legendary Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, one of the most influential directors in world cinema.

The week will feature screenings of *Man of Iron*, *Man of Hope*, and *Afterimage*, along with guest speakers and a round table exploring Wajda's extraordinary legacy and enduring impact on film and history.

More details coming soon -- watch this space!⬇️
https://www.ualberta.ca/en/wirth-institute/polish-week-2026.html



Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta

09/21/2026

🎬 Polish Week 2026: Resistance and Resilience – 100 Years of Wajda!

Join the Wirth Institute THIS WEEK for a special celebration of the centenary of legendary Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda (1926–2016), one of the most influential directors in world cinema. Explore Wajda’s powerful cinematic legacy and his enduring engagement with war, totalitarianism, memory, freedom, justice, and human dignity.

The week features lunchtime screenings of Man of Iron and Man of Hope, a Central European Café with discussion and refreshments, a Polish-language gathering celebrating Wajda’s art, and a special screening of Afterimage at Metro Cinema followed by a Q&A and discussion with scholars of Polish cinema.

All campus events are free and open to the public, with no registration required. Tickets are required for the Afterimage screening.

📅 September 24–26, 2026
📍 University of Alberta & Metro Cinema

Learn more about Polish Week 2026 and the full event schedule:
https://www.ualberta.ca/en/wirth-institute/polish-week-2026.html

Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta

Join us for a special celebration of the centenary of legendary Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda (1926–2016), one of the most influential directors in the history of world cinema. Through films that explored war, totalitarianism, memory, and the enduring struggle for freedom, Wajda gave voice to Pol...

09/17/2026

We’re delighted to share that Wirth Institute Director Dominique Kirchner Reill’s recent presidential forum has now been published in Central European History!

“Gender History: A Necessary Key to Understanding Central Europe” explores the essential role of gender history in understanding Central Europe and its past.

We’re especially pleased to share that the article is available open access. Read it here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/central-european-history/article/gender-history-a-necessary-key-to-understanding-central-europe/55668872B101CAEAC20FA5B7C5B750D4

Gender History: A Necessary Key to Understanding Central Europe

09/17/2026

Call for Papers: Life Writing and Holocaust Literature

The Wirth Institute is pleased to share a call for papers from the Azrieli Foundation’s Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program for a one-day conference taking place May 5, 2027, in Toronto.

The conference will explore life writing and Holocaust literature within the broader context of Holocaust studies, with particular attention to how lived experiences are remembered, interpreted, and given meaning through memoirs, letters, diaries, journals, and other forms of personal narrative.

Topics may include love and loss, trauma and resilience, memory, literary representation, gender, and theoretical approaches to life writing and Holocaust literature. Proposals may take the form of individual case studies or collective/comparative approaches.

Scholars at all career stages are invited to apply, with early-career researchers and PhD candidates especially encouraged. Proposals must engage with at least one publication from the Azrieli Foundation’s Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program.

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2026
📍 Conference: May 5, 2027 | Toronto, Ontario
📄 Submit a 250-word proposal and 50–100-word bio to [email protected].

Two-night hotel accommodation will be provided for successful applicants, with travel bursaries available for those residing outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Keynote Address: Prof. Sara R. Horowitz, York University

The Life Writing and Holocaust Literature Conference, under the auspices of the Azrieli Foundation’s Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, will bring…

09/15/2026

⚽ The Leopold Šťastný exhibition is now on at Rutherford Library Atrium! ⚽

Join us TODAY from 1-1:30 pm for the opening reception and celebrate the life and legacy of this remarkable figure. Everyone is welcome!

Discover the remarkable story of Leopold Šťastný -- survivor of N**i terror, legendary Austrian football manager, and immigrant to Canada. Through photographs, documents and historical materials, the exhibition explores Šťastný’s extraordinary life and legacy, from his experiences in Europe to his influential career in Canadian football.

On view now through Friday, September 18
Rutherford Library Atrium, University of Alberta

Learn more about the exhibition: ualberta.ca/en/wirth-institute/stastny-exhibit.html

The University of Alberta, its buildings, labs and research stations are primarily located on the territory of Néhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Nakoda (Stoney), Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway/Saulteaux), lands that are now known as part of Treaties 6, 7 and 8...