Background Article A gay 'information office for the Eastern Bloc'? Since the upheavals of 1989-1991, Eastern Europe has been repeatedly stigmatized as 'backward' in relation to the politics and policies around sexuality. Historical sources, however, contradict this view and reveal that homosexual rights activism was alive and well across the Eastern Bloc in the 1980s.
Research institute | Cultural center | Library | Archive Bukovina Institute at the University of Augsburg e.V. The Bukovina Institute at the University of Augsburg is an affiliated institute of the University of Augsburg and is dedicated to researching and communicating knowledge about the culture and history of the historical region of Bukovina as well as about Eastern, East Central and Southeastern Europe.
Call for Contributions: 1945: End of the War, Liberation, Occupation Extended until April 29! In Europe, the year 1945 marks the end of the Second World War through the military collapse of the German Reich and its unconditional surrender to the three victorious Allied powers.
Introduction Colonialism, Racism and Eastern Europe Eastern Europe continues to occupy a marginal position in debates on (post-)colonialism and racism. At the same time, the example of Germany demonstrates how long-standing the tradition of devaluation is, and the influence it continues to have to this day. An extension of our perspective on (post-)colonialism and racism in an Easterly direction is long overdue.
Biographical Portrait Hungarian – Communist – Jew? This article sheds light on some facets of the life of the philosopher Ernő Gáll, who as a Jew, a communist and a Hungarian was both politically persecuted and a perpetrator. A committed intellectual, he acted as a mediator between different political factions and hostile ethnic groups throughout his life. In doing so, he developed an ethic of dignity and responsibility and coined the phrase "the dignity of individual character," which also has relevance for today's debates around the issue of identity.
Background Article Post-War Jewish Migration from the USSR and the refuseniki movement The post-WW II Jewish migration from the Soviet Union (and also after its dissolution) is one of the largest in modern history. Altogether 2.75 million Soviet Jews left the USSR for Israel, the United States, Germany and elsewhere. The position of the Soviet state with respect to emigration was remarkably ambivalent: in some cases, it was allowed and even encouraged, in others, others; it was controlled and strongly limited. The Jewish emigration movement that arose in the late 1960s and continued throughout the 1970s-1980s became an example of resistance and activism within the authoritarian system, which increasingly alerted international attention. In one way or another, it affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and changed the appearance of many cities and towns within the Soviet Union and outside it.
