The Summer School - European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)

Ever since its first edition in 2011, the Annual Summer School on National Minorities in Border Regions has been one of the fundamental annual activities of the European Centre for Minority Issues. Scholars, Ph.D.- and MA students from various fields connected to minority studies are welcome to apply. The selected participants can participate in a unique one-week training course that brings international experts on minority and human rights together. Standing under a specific umbrella theme each year, the Summer School features various excursions to different institutions of topical relevance and involves a series of lectures by renowned academics.

Summer School 2023

Minorities, Ethnic Conflict & Reconciliation | 27 August - 3 September 2023 | Belgrade, Serbia

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

*** Early Bird Deadline: 31 March 2023 ***

*** Deadline: 28 April 2023 ***

DAY 1 27/8 Orientation

13:00-15:00 Welcome icebreakers and introduction to the programme / Summer School Team

15:00-16:30 Input session: Introduction to ethnic conflict studies / Felix Schulte (ECMI)

17:00 International food evening

DAY 2 28/8 Conceptual foundations

9:00-9:30 Official Opening: Vello Pettai (ECMI), Inaki Irazabalbeitia (Coppieters Foundation), and Goran Bašić (Institute of Social Sciences)

9:30-11:00 Keynote Lecture: Why do we study ethnic conflicts? / Corinne Bara (ETH Zürich)

11:30-13:00 Lecture: Different wars, different solutions? / Corinne Bara (ETH Zürich)

14:00-15:30 Lecture: On the causes of ethnic conflict / Felix Schulte (ECMI)

16:00-17:00 Seminar activity: Ethnic conflict scenarios / Summer School Team & Felix Schulte

20:30 Opening Dinner

DAY 3 29/8 The agony of ethnic conflict

9:30-11:00 Panel discussion: Gender & ethnic conflict
Panelists: Sofija Todorović (Youth Initiative for Human Rights), Margareta Bašaragin (Women’s Studies and Research), Sanja Ćopić (University of Belgrade) Moderated by Zorica Mršević (Faculty of European Legal and Political Studies / Institute of Social Sciences)

11:30-13:00 World café: Gender & ethnic conflict

14:00-15:30 Lecture: The roots of ethnic cleansing in Europe: Bosnia and beyond H. Zeynep Bulutgil (University College London)

16:00-17:30 Lecture: Inequality within and between ethno-religious groups & communal riots: the case of India H. Zeynep Bulutgil (University College London)

DAY 4 30/8 Measuring ethnic conflict

9:30-10:30 Lecture: "Measuring" ethnic identity and conflict / Andreas Juon (International Conflict Research Group / ETH Zurich)

10:45-11:45 Lecture: Quantitative approaches: opportunities and challenges / Andreas Juon

12:00-13:00 Exercise: Mapping ethnic conflict using the Ethnic Power Relations Dataset / Andreas Juon

14:00-17:00 Science Slam / Aziz Berdiqulov & Stanislav Černega

17:45 CoE event: Kin-state engagement and its impact on minority protection in Europe, Council of Europe Office in Belgrade

DAY 5 31/8 Trip to Novi Sad

10:00-10:30 Visit & tour: Provincial Government and Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina

10:30-12:00 Presentation: Official use of languages and scripts & multiculturalism and tolerance in Vojvodina / Adrian Borka & Bojan Greguric (Provincial Secretariat for Education, Administration, Regulations and National Minorities)

13:30-15:00 Visit & discussion: The National Council of the Slovak Minority in Serbia / Dušanka Petráková (Chair of the Council)

15:00-17:00 Tour and outside talk: Multiculturalism in Vojvodina / Milena Sekulić (University of Novi Sad)

DAY 6 1/9 Post-conflict reality

9:30-11:00 Panel discussion: International organizations and ethnic conflict - navigating peace in a diverse world
Panelists: River Hustad (HCNM/OSCE), Milica Rodić (OSCE Mission to Serbia), Nadia Ćuk (Council of Europe)
Moderated by Ljubica Djordjević (ECMI)

11:30-13:00 Lecture: International organizations and ethnic conflict - promoting lasting peace / Ljubica Djordjević (ECMI)

14:00-15:30 Panel Discussion: Challenges and trends of power-sharing
Panelists: Rubin Zemon (American University of Europe), Joanne McEvoy (University of Aberdeen), Goran Marković (University of East Sarajevo)
Moderated by Daniel Bochsler (CEU / University of Belgrade)

16:00-17:30 World café: Power sharing

DAY 7 2/9 Reconciliation

9:30-11:00 Learning circle: Bottom-up peace building
Panelists: Velma Šarić (Post-Conflict Research Center), Dejana Stošić (Youth Initiative for Human Rights), Marijana Toma (KU Leuven), Denisa Kostovicova (LSE)
Moderated by Sead Turčalo (University of Sarajevo)

11:30-13:00 Lecture: Transitional justice and mass atrocity crimes: elusive reconciliation? / Denisa Kostovicova (London School of Economics and Political Science)

14:00-15:30 Group work: Ethnic conflict scenarios / Summer School Team

16:00-17:30 Final presentations: Ethnic conflict scenarios / Summer School Team

20:30 Closing Dinner

DAY 8 3/9 Reflections & departures

10:00-12:00 Wrap-up: Discussion, feedback and evaluation, certificates, and goodbyes / Summer School Team

Download the summer school brochure

Ethnic conflict has again become a threat to peace in Europe since Ukraine’s invasion by Russia has been linked to ethnopolitics and the safeguarding of ethnic minorities. Ethnic conflicts, in addition to the variety of their causes, their actors involved, and their levels of intensity, take a significant toll in terms of human, economic, and social costs. Conflicts can fundamentally change political institutions, social norms, and identities. Equally important are conflict resolution arrangements. So-called “accommodation regimes” for inter-ethnic conflict resolution include minority rights, autonomy arrangements, and power-sharing.

In 2023, the ECMI Summer School will consist of two thematic parts. In the first part, attention will be paid to what our collective knowledge about ethnic conflict – both in Europe and elsewhere in the world – can tell us about why this torment is rising again. Alongside more micro-level precipitators like local disputes or triggers in specific contexts, participants will discuss long-term, structural causes like poverty, discrimination, and exclusion. Here, the Summer School will feature a quantitative component, where scholars linked to the Ethnic Power Relations project (EPR) will introduce the wealth of comparative datasets available to examine conflicts on a more systematic level. In the second part, participants will examine conflict resolution arrangements, including institutional mechanisms and bottom-up programmes.

Conceptual Foundations of Ethnic Conflict: Can we define ethnic conflict? How does nationalism precipitate ethnic conflict? What is the role of emotions and grievances in causing ethnic conflicts and insurgencies?
The Agony of Ethnic Conflict: How does conflict affect ordinary citizens? What role do women play in the course of ethnic conflict? What are the roots of ethnic cleansing?
Measuring Ethnic Conflict: Can we measure ethnic conflict? How can we analyze ethnic conflicts comparatively using datasets? What approaches exist in measuring ethnic conflict and what are the key conceptual and methodological issues involved?
Post-Conflict Reconciliation: Does the involvement of international organisations facilitate conflict resolution? What are the types of power-sharing arrangements, and do they work? How do bottom-up peacebuilding initiatives enable reconciliation? Why are transitional justice and the establishment of truth important?

The programme will consist of lectures, seminars and workshops given by ECMI research staff and expert guest lecturers, including:

Dr. Erika Forsberg (Uppsala University)
Dr. Andreas Juon (ETH Zurich)
Dr. H. Zeynep Bulutgil (University College London)
Dr. Denisa Kostovicova (London School of Economics and Political Science)
Dr. Daniel Bochsler (Central European University and University of Belgrade)
Dr. Zorica Mršević (Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade)
Dr. Rubin Zemon (American University of Europe, Skopje)
Dr. Felix Schulte (ECMI)
Dr. Ljubica Djordjević (ECMI)
and more to be announced.

The programme will combine traditional and non-formal educational methods, interactive sessions and networking activities and will thus inspire the participants to engage with the topics of the course critically and from different perspectives and disciplinary approaches. 

The course will include: 

Keynote lectures delivered by prominent scholars, academic lectures and practitioners’ seminars;
Interactive workshops conducted by trained professionals, world cafés and discussion sessions ;
Meetings and networking with local minority stakeholders,  disucssion panels on topics such as gender, power-sharing arrangements, and bottom-up peace-building initiatives;
A study trip to Novi Sad and a visit to the Assembly of Vojvodina (meeting with the local government representatives & minority institutions);
Presentation and research exchange among the participants ;
Social events (visits to selected museums/exhibitions, international evening).

The Summer School team aims to select a total number of 25 junior scholars, researchers or practitioners, having the following professional background: 

Students from relevant fields of studies (MA and PhD students), and/or 
Practitioners from the public sector, NGOs or mass-media.

 Applicants are required to complete the online application form, which includes questions on general information (contact details, affiliation, practical and logistical information) and motivation. 

To finalise the submission of an application, applicants must also submit their detailed CV via email to summerschool@ecmi.de  no later than 28 April 2023. Please state "NMBR SuS23 Application" in the subject line. 

The application will not be considered for the selection process unless a CV is submitted via email. 

The selection will be performed on the basis of academic and professional achievements, as well as expressed interest in the topic. Diversity of the group in terms of professional background, gender, and country of origin will be an important factor in the selection process. 

Fees

Applicants who submit their completed applications before the Early Bird deadline will be eligible for a reduced fee in the event that they are selected for the programme. Fees will be due to be paid in late June.

The tuition fee for the Summer School 2023 is 

200 EUR if the completed application is submitted until 31 March 2023 (EARLY BIRD discount); 
250 EUR if the completed application is submitted on or after 1 April 2023;
100 EUR (EARLY BIRD discount if applied until 31 March 2023) and 150 EUR for applicants who will not require accommodation.

The fee covers: 

The week-long programme of lectures and workshops;
All reading materials before and during the Summer School ;
Accommodation (including breakfast)  in shared rooms from 26 August (Saturday) - 3 September 2023 (Sunday);
Lunches and light refreshments for seven days of the Summer School, plus two dinners;
A field trip to Novi Sad;
Participation in all additional Summer School activities (city tour, social activities, visits to museums/exhibition); 
Support with bureaucratic matters during your visa application (if needed). Please note that visa fees will not be reimbursed.

Travel costs, as well as visa and health/travel insurance costs will not be reimbursed. 

Cancellation policy

Cancellation until 30 June 2023: 80% of the tuition fee will be refunded, minus any additional incurred costs. 

Cancellations after 30 June 2023: no refund.

The 13th Annual Summer School ‘National Minorities and Border Regions’ is co-organised together with Coppieters Foundation and in cooperation with the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade, Serbia.

*** This Summer School is a joint initiative of ECMI and Coppieters Foundation. This event is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the conference or the opinions of the speakers.

Download the call for participants as pdf

10-03-2023

Call for Participants

Partners

The Summer School is organized in cooperation with the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade, Serbia.

Coordinators

Aziz Berdiqulov

Researcher

Further Information

Stanislav Černega

International Communications Coordinator

Further Information