International Border Studies Center

Professor Menachem Klein in Gdańsku, 23-25 March, 2023

Professor Menachem Klein is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. He previously studied, lectured, and visited as visiting professor Hebrew Univeristy of Jerusalem, Leiden, Florence, St. Anthony’s College at Oxford and King’s College at London. In his political and diplomatic activity, he was an adviser for Jerusalem Affairs and Israel-PLO Final Status Talks to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. S. Ben-Ami, and a member of advisory team operating in the office of Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Since 1996 he is active in many unofficial negotiations with Palestinian counterparts. In October 2003 Prof. Klein signed together with prominent Israeli and Palestinian negotiators the Geneva Agreement – a detailed proposal for a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.

The professor visited us on March 23-24, 2023, and gave two lectures:

“Jewish and Muslim Holy Sites in Jerusalem”, 23/03/2023, Nowa Synagoga w Gdańsku-Wrzeszczu, ul. Partyzantów 7 and “Contemporary Trends in Studying the History of Palestine up to 1948 War”, 24/03/2023, The Social Sciences Department, Gdańsk University. The originator of the professor’s invitation, the moderator of the discussion and interpreter of the professor’s lecture in the synagogue was Krzysztof Ulanowski. The whole stay was organized jointly by The International Border Study Center UG, The Social Sciences Department UG, Historical Department UG, The Association of the Religious Study Students UG, and also the Jewish Community in Gdańsk, and The Cultural Foundation „Zbliżenia”. In addition to the official part, the professor visited the synagogue and met members of the Jewish community. At the University, he met not only academics, but also students of sociology, history, political science, and religious studies. Discussions concerned Jewish-Muslim relations from the end of the 19th century to the present days, research methodology, “sharing” of holy places by the Jews, Muslims and Christians and related religious and social rituals, and also forecasts for the possibilities of political and religious dialogue in the coming years.   by Krzysztof Ulanowski

Gdańskie GRASSowania_2022
IBSC was a proud partner of a conference: “Intercultural Dialogues and Encounters” – which constituted part of the large program celebrating the 95th birthday anniversary of Günter Grass – the Nobel Prize Laureate, the honorary citizen of Gdańsk, and doctor honoris causa of the University of Gdańsk. The program of GRASSowania was born in the Research Lab for Memory Narratives of Borderlands directed by Mirosława Borzyszkowska-Szewczyk, which continues to inspire an interdisciplinary reflection regarding Polish-German cultural borderland memory narratives, primary of the Pomerania region with its cultural centers, as well as on specific comparisons to the historical regions of East Prussia and Silesia (here: http://www.narracjepogranicza.eu/?
page_id=162). The conference proceedings (in Polish, German and English) were recorded and are available at the YT channel: Stowarzyszenie Güntera Grassa. Links: Part I at UG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1GNYVuWPqc, part II at IKM Gdańsk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy3k0IyolF8, III: ECS: youtube.com/watch?
v=PR2YyuUG-zw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQa0u21vQl4.

Warsztaty interdyscyplinarne Wstrząsy wtórne cezury 1989/90 w literaturze i praktyce interkulturowej. Doświadczenia formacyjne pokolenia przełomu / Nachbeben einer Zäsur in der interkulturellen Literatur und Kulturpraxis. Formationserlebnisse einer Umbruchsgeneration, Gdańsk, 3.-4. Dezember 2021, http://www.narracjepogranicza.eu/?lang=pl