Massacre and Memory: University of Graz addresses the wounds of history

The memorial to the Srebrenica massacre is not enough to help people come to terms with the trauma. A conference on the subject will be held at the University of Graz on 12 and 13 June. Photo: David Kranzelbinder/Pavelhaus

A conference on 12 and 13 June 2026 at the Jesuit Refectory will focus on trauma in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

The Srebrenica massacre took place 31 years ago, yet its consequences are still being felt. The current war in Ukraine is creating new traumatic memories. The Holocaust and the crimes of the Second World War also continue to have a lasting impact. The conference “Trauma in Eastern Europe”, to be held on 12 and 13 June 2026 at the University of Graz, will explore how to deal with these experiences, examining their locations and the emotions they evoke. It is deliberately aimed not only at academics, but also at professionals from the psychosocial sector and the field of remembrance work, as well as at diaspora groups such as the Bosniaks in Graz. Individual lectures may also be attended. Admission is free. Details of the programme (pdf) can be found here.

Conference (in English):
Trauma in Eastern Europe: Concept, Experience, Memory in Ethnography and Historical Anthropology
Friday, 12 June 2026, 2 pm to 8 pm, Saturday, 13 June, 9 am to 6 pm
Jesuit Refectory at Rosenhain, Aigner-Rollett-Allee 39, 8010 Graz

Dagmar Eklaude

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