Sergiusz Bober
Sergiusz has been a Senior Researcher at the ECMI and leader of the Politics & Civil Society cluster since September 2017. He earned his Ph.D. in political science (2010) with a thesis on the intellectual sources of the Argentine federal system, and an M.A. in Law from the Jagiellonian University.
His primary research area focuses on minority language media (MLM). Within this field, together with Craig Willis, he conducted pioneering research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on such media outlets, as well as analysed the influence of digitalisation on minority language newspapers in the Basque Country, Denmark, Galicia and Germany.
These media-related efforts led to the Cluster securing a prestigious COST Action grant. Within the PLURILINGMEDIA network (CA23105, funding period 2024-2028), he serves as Publications Manager, coordinating the Action’s research outputs.
Networks-wise, Sergiusz is also actively involved in the activities of the International Association for Minority Language Media Research (IAMLMR) and the European Language Equality Network (ELEN).
His other academic interests include minorities in the context of sport, as well as the emerging focus on linguistic landscapes. In addition to that, he has been responsible and co-responsible for ECMI publications such as the ECMI Research Papers (until April 2021) and the ECMI Minorities Blog (since September 2021). Between September 2019 and February 2020, he served as the Centre’s interim co-director.
Before joining the ECMI, Sergiusz was employed at the Jagiellonian University and at the Jesuit University Ignatianum. During that period, his work focused on topics such as comparative and Argentine federalism, human rights, Scottish nationalism, social justice, and theoretical approaches to sovereignty.
In his work, he utilizes sources in Catalan, Danish, English, Galician, German, Polish, Portuguese, Silesian and Spanish.
Bober, S. (forthcoming article), ‘Shaping National Identity Through Short Documentaries: The Case of German Minority in Upper Silesia’.
Manias Muñoz, M., Bober, S. & Willis, C. (eds.), (forthcoming book), Minority Language Media - Current Challenges in a Fragmented Mediascape (to be released in 2025; under contract with Springer Nature / Palgrave Macmillan).
Bober, S. & Willis, C., (forthcoming book chapter), ‘The digitalisation of Der Nordschleswiger: how to build a consensus when considering and implementing the digital switch?’. In: Manias Muñoz, M., Bober, S. & Willis, C. (eds.), Minority Language Media - Current Challenges in a Fragmented Mediascape.
Bober, S. & Willis, C. (2024, June 25), ‘European Football Championship of the Autochthonous Minorities Comes to the Danish-German Border Region: A Preview of Europeada 2024’. ECMI Minorities Blog. https://doi.org/10.53779/APMV4463
Bober, S. (ed.), (2024), Post-World War One Plebiscites and Their Legacies. Exploring the Right of Self-Determination, Central European University Press.
Bober, S. (2024), ‘Introduction: Between Plebiscites, Difficult History, and Minority Rights’. In: Bober, S. (ed.), Post-World War One Plebiscites and Their Legacies. Exploring the Right of Self-Determination, Central European University Press.
Bober, S. & Willis, C. (2023), ‘The digitalization of minority language newspapers: between long-term trend and pandemic-induced adaptation’, European Yearbook of Minority Issues, Vol. 20 (2021). Brill, pp. 66-92. brill.com/edcollbook/title/62139
Willis, C., Hughes, W. & Bober, S. (2023, June 21), ‘National and linguistic minorities in the context of professional football across Europe: five examples from kin-state situations’. ECMI Minorities Blog. https://doi.org/10.53779/SBCM3981
Bober, S. & Willis, C. (2023), ‘The purpose of minority language media and the digital shift: the case of Der Nordschleswiger’. In: Mpofu et al. (eds.) African Language Media. London: Routledge. pp. 98-111. DOI: doi.org/10.4324/9781003350194
Willis, C., Hughes, W. & Bober, S. (2022, December 21), ‘National and linguistic minorities in the context of professional football across Europe: five examples from non-kin state situations’. ECMI Minorities Blog. https://doi.org/10.53779/BVKL7633
Bober, S. (2022), ‘The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Minority Communities in Germany, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. Was There a Specific Minority Angle to the Public Health Emergency?’ (review article), JEMIE - Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53779/ALMX2688
Bober, S. & Willis, C. (2021), ‘The Covid-19 pandemic and minority language media in Europe: the effects of spring 2020 lockdowns’, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.2005074
Bober, S. (2021), ‘El vínculo entre soberanía, globalización y los derechos de las minorías’. In: P. Almeda i Samaranch (ed.), Cataluña-España: ¿Del conflicto al diálogo político? Madrid-Barcelona: Los Libros de la Catarata – Generalitat de Catalunya. pp. 507-521.
Bober, S. (2021), ‘El nexe entre la sobirania, la globalització i els drets de les minories’. In: P. Almeda i Samaranch (ed.), Catalunya-Espanya: Del conflicte al diàleg polític? Madrid-Barcelona: Los Libros de la Catarata – Generalitat de Catalunya. pp. 502-515.
Bober, S. & Berdiqulov, A. (2020), ‘Recognition, non-recognition, and misrecognition of minority communities. What lessons can be drawn from a comparison between European and Central Asian approaches?’ (Research Paper No. 124). European Centre for Minority Issues. https://www.ecmi.de/publications/ecmi-research-papers/recognition-non-recognition-and-misrecognition-of-minority-communities-what-lessons-can-be-drawn-from-a-comparison-between-european-and-central-asian-approaches
Bober, S. (2020, April 9), ‘The Spanish Roma community in the time of coronavirus. A narrative perspective’. ECMI Minorities Blog. https://www.ecmi.de/infochannel/detail/the-spanish-roma-community-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-a-narrative-perspective
5-6 September 2024: International conference The Chorus of the Crowd. Culture, Power, and Identities in Football Fandom, NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal (online). Presentation: ‘Minority languages and football clubs: a comparative study of fan-led vs club-led linguistic diversity’ (with Craig Willis).
8-11 July 2024: 3rd IAMLMR Conference Minority Language Media in Uncertain Times, North-West University, South Africa (online). Presentation: ‘Grænzenlos - Interpreting a New Bilingual TV Programme Broadcast in the Danish-German Border Region’.
8-11 July 2024: 3rd IAMLMR Conference Minority Language Media in Uncertain Times, North-West University, South Africa (online). Presentation: ‘Guidelines for future media and linguistic policies in minority language contexts. The findings from an international Delphi study’ (with Miren Manias Muñoz and Craig Willis).
12 January 2024: Next Generations Literacies Network Conference, University of Hamburg, Germany. Presentation: ‘Access to media and the German minority in Denmark. Negotiating the digital switch of Der Nordschleswiger’ (with Craig Willis).
14 December 2023: KURS-Kolloquium - Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany. Guest lecture: ‘Minority languages and football clubs: a comparison of the linguistic landscape and language practices of 10 professional clubs and their fans across Europe’ (with Craig Willis).
16 June 2023: General Assembly of the European Association of Daily Newspapers in Minority and Regional Languages MIDAS. Guest presentation: ‘MIDAS and the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI): bringing practitioners and researchers into closer contact’ (with Craig Willis).
15 June 2023: Journalism Department, University of the Basque Country. Guest lecture: ‘Examining the minority language newspapers in the Danish/German border region: The role of the community in the decision-making towards further digitalisation’ (with Craig Willis).
14 June 2023: UNESCO Chair of World Linguistic Heritage, University of the Basque Country. Guest lecture: ‘Research on Minority Language Media at the European Centre for Minority Issues’ (with Craig Willis).
20-24 June 2023: XIX International Conference on Minority Languages, Carmarthen. Presentation: ‘The impact of media on the revitalization and use of minority languages: insights from an international Delphi study’ (with Miren Manias Muñoz and Craig Willis)
20-24 June 2023: XIX International Conference on Minority Languages, Carmarthen. Presentation: ‘Basque and Galician language journalists. A comparison of two professional groups’ (with Facundo Reyna-Muniain).
20-24 June 2023: XIX International Conference on Minority Languages, Carmarthen. Sergiusz Bober convened the panel: ‘Minority language journalism and its practitioners: between the definition of the category, professional profiles, and linguistic challenges’.
22-24 March 2023: Minority Language Media – Galego and minority languages across Europe, Consello da Cultura Galega, Santiago de Compostela. 22-24 March 2023 (co-organised with Craig Willis and Facundo Reyna-Muniain).
1–2 December 2022: The ECMI Expert Workshop on Minority Language Media in Eastern Europe (co-organizer with Craig Willis).
28-30 September 2022: Conference Territorial and Inter-Organizational Cooperation. Presentation (as a plenary speaker): Minority language media in / and the Danish-German border region. Between borderscapes, institutional cooperation and political engagement.
28-30 September 2022: Conference Territorial and Inter-Organizational Cooperation. Roundtable: Minorities, Non-Territorial Autonomy and cross-border cooperation (speaker).
13-16 September 2022 III International Conference on Revitalisation of Indigenous and Minoritized Languages, Presentation: The impact of media on the revitalization and use of minority languages: towards consensus through an international Delphi Study (with Miren Manias-Muñoz and Craig Willis).
11-13 April 2022: PSA Annual International Conference 2022. Presentation: Between ethnicity and regionalism: the Schleswig Party in the context of Danish local elections of November 16th, 2021
5-7 April 2022:The ASEN XXXI Annual Conference on Nationalism and Media. Presentation: Minority Language Media (MLM) and minority-majority relations during the COVID-19 pandemic (with Valentina Cola and Craig Willis).
31 March–01 April 2022: 2nd IAMLMR Conference Multi-platform and Connecting Communities: Contemporary Challenges for Minority Language Media (co-organizer with Craig Willis and Miren Manias-Muñoz).
11 March 2022: Workshop Political Polarisation and the Role of Media. Presentation: When minority language newspapers become political actors: the role of Flensborg Avis and Der Nordschleswiger in the campaign arguing for the reopening of the Danish-German border during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3 November 2021: ECMI Online Talk Minority languages and media landscapes in Africa, Europe and Latin America: Between global and regional dynamics (organizer).
18 August 2021: ILMA 2021 Research Seminar - North-West University, South Africa. Guest lecture: Minority Language Media in Europe and the Covid-19 pandemic. A study of 10 linguistic spheres (with Craig Willis).
23-24 June 2021: Workshop Rahmenübereinkommen zum Schutz nationaler Minderheiten: Umsetzung, Möglichkeiten und Defizite im Kontext der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Presentation: Implementing Article 9. Assessing minorities’ access to media in Germany (Artikel 9 implimentieren: Beurteilung des Zugangs zu Medien für Minderheiten in Deutschland).
9 June 2021: KURS-Kolloquium - Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany. Guest lecture: Minority Language Media in Europe and the Covid-19 pandemic. A study of 10 linguistic spheres (with Craig Willis).
3-4 June 2021: Conference Minorities and Self-determination – 100th Anniversary of the Post-World War I Plebiscites (co-organizer on the ECMI side, together with Craig Willis).
20-21 May 2021: The ECMI Expert Workshop - Social Movements and Minority Rights. Presentation: Human rights crisis in Xinjiang and civil society actors from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Strategies of engagement and their efficiency (with Aziz Berdiqulov and Doriyush Soliev).
29-31 March 2021: PSA Annual International Conference - Resilience, Expertise, Hope. Presentation:Does ethnic kinship matter in electoral politics? The evidence from four European examples.
24-26 March 2021: XVIII International Conference on Minority Languages (ICML). Presentation: On the efficiency of monitoring mechanisms. Minority language media in ECRML and FCNM.
28 January 2021: Workshop on the findings of the Covid-19 minority language media interview series. International Association for Minority Language Media Research (IAMLMR) online event (co-organization and presentation with Craig Willis).
14-15 December 2020: IPSA Virtual Colloquium: Disruption, Crisis, Opportunity: Whither Democratic Governance? Discussant in the panel Representation and mobilization of cross-border nations. The party politics of ethnic kinship.
26 November 2020: Conference Sovereignty conflicts in Europe: Basis for a solution. Presentation: The nexus between sovereignty, globalization, and minority rights. How are these concepts interconnected in the context of territorial conflicts of sovereignty?
8-9 October 2020: Conference New Borders in Europe? The Annual meeting of the Danish European Community Studies Association (Sønderborg, Denmark). Presentation: A comparative look at development strategies of ethnically diverse border regions. Is diversity considered important factor for the creation of better living spaces in the borderlands?
13 December 2019: The ECMI Expert Workshop Minority identity in the digital age. Presentation: Documenting Uyghur/Xinjiang crisis with digital tools.
9-11 December 2019: Conference Documenting, Assessing and Reporting the Uyghur Crisis. Presentation: Discursive responses to the Xinjiang crisis in Central Asia. A comparative analysis of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek cases (with Aziz Berdiqulov and Doriyush Soliev).
25-26 November 2019. Workshop Nationalism in a Transnational Age. Presentation: National minorities and the rise of nationalism. A comparative analysis of the cases of Danish minority in Germany and German minority in Poland.
27-29 June 2019: The 16th Conference of the European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS). Presentation: Mechanisms of recognition of national minorities in Central Asia. A comparative study of cases from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan (with Aziz Berdiqulov).
24-25 April 2019: ASEN Annual Conference. Presentation: National minorities and the question of local and regional development. Are Danish minority in Germany and German minority in Denmark post-national?
7-8 February 2019: The ECMI Expert Workshop National minorities in regional development (Co-organizer and co-chair with Sonja Wolf).
4-6 July 2018: ASN European Conference 2018 – Nationalism in Times of Uncertainty. Presentation: The Danish minority in Schleswig-Holstein vis-a-vis Denmark’s policy towards persons of foreign origin after June 2015 parliamentary election: the case of ‘Flensborg Avis’ newspaper.
20 April 2018: The ECMI Expert Workshop Central Asia (Co-organizer and co-chair with Aziz Berdiqulov).
