Thursdays are for Searches: The Russian Repression Calendar in Occupied Crimea
Authoritarian control follows a grim calculus. The literature on state repression shows that coercion is not random but operates under a highly strategic logic. Russia’s repressive campaign in its occupied territories in Ukraine is no exception. Shortly after the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea in February and March 2014, the Russian authorities established a […]
The Story of Discuss Data – a Unique Data Hub for Scholars Working on Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia
The name Olimpiy Kvitkin is not known to many people. But his fate illustrates why a platform like Discuss Data – a repository for archiving, sharing and discussing research data on Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia – is needed today more than ever since the fall of the USSR. Kvitkin was Stalin’s leading […]
Studying the Multilingual Landscape in Azerbaijan – Methodological Challenges
Baku presents a compelling case for studying linguistic landscape dynamics, given its history of language shifts and script changes – from traditional Arabic to Latin, then to Cyrillic, and back to Latin in the 20th century – and the recent elevation of Azerbaijani as Azerbaijan’s only official language. These dynamics have left their imprint on […]
Inventorying to Occupy – Lists of ‘Ownerless’ Dwellings as Markers of Russian Occupation in Ukraine
Author: Guénola Inizan | 02.07.2025
How does the Russian occupation in Ukraine work? What are the institutional regimes implementing this occupation? Guénola Inizan introduces the lists of ‘ownerless’ dwellings as markers of Russian occupation in Ukraine and explains her academic approach towards them.
Protected: Framing the “Other”: The Exhibition of Diversity at Tbilisoba 2023
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
In/visible Contested Border: Im/material Evolutions of the Georgian-Abkhazian Divide
Author: Gaëlle Le Pavic | 28.05.2025
How can you study a contested border that is not a fixed line, but an evolving assemblage of material and immaterial elements – including infrastructure, narratives, security practices and lived experiences? Gaëlle le Pavic does so in the case of the Georgian-Abkhazian divide.
Constructing ‘the People’: Strategies, Modes, Scales
Author: Bojidar Kolov | 01.04.2025
What does it mean when a political actor refers to ‘the people’? Where do we locate him or her in a political discourse? Bojidar Kolov presents a model that could help answer these questions and much more.
DATA: New Catalog of Conflict and Cooperation Datasets
Author: Ivaylo Dinev (ZOiS)
This catalog features key research platforms and public datasets on conflict and cooperation, political developments, socio-economic trends, and public opinion across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus.
Published online: March 2025
“… there is so much more we do not know” – Data Visualisation in Peace and Conflict Research
Author: Josip Glaurdić | 26.02.2025
Data visualization in peace and conflict research is becoming more and more important. Josip Glaurdić reflects on the advantages and pitfalls of data visualisation with regard to his own projects with focus on South Eastern Europe.
‘Stealing’ and ‘Combining’ Time for Meaningful Contributions Beyond Academic Anthropology
Author: Nikola A. Venkov-Rose | 18.12.2024
How can anthropological research produced for Western markets of academic knowledge become more relevant and benefit the people and societies studied? Nikola A. Venkov-Rose’s answer is ‘stealing and combining time’ – with regard to Stolipinovo, Bulgaria.