The German Association for East European Studies (DGO), the largest network within the German speaking realm facilitating research on Eastern Europe, has approved the application to create a regional group of Young DGO experts at its Bremen branch. The application was conceived and designed by Josephine Assmus (InIIS, University of Bremen), Mareike zum Felde (FSO, University of Bremen), Caroline Finkeldey (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek) and Olga Masyutina (Faculty of Business Studies and Economics, University of Bremen). The goal of the project is to increase the visibility of the DGO efforts in Bremen, acquaint the general public with topical issues and recent developments in Eastern Europe, and to further develop and promote the local community of East European experts. The Young DGO group in Bremen has been set up for two years, until summer 2022, and will receive some funding from the German Association for East European Studies to organize a number of events in the city.
The team will focus on the problem of climate change in Eastern Europe - the topic that is understudied and not immediately associated with the East European context although environmental degradation clearly poses a serious threat to sustainable development in the region. The team plans several events in Bremen to explore and showcase the issue of climate change, e.g. a photo exhibition commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, a screening of an environmental documentary and a panel discussion on local grass-roots environmental activism in the East European countries. Apart from that, there will be an informal bimonthly meeting (Stammtisch) of the DGO group and others interested in Eastern Europe to exchange news and discuss some current topics (the first get-together tba soon). The Young DGO group intends to cooperate closely with a number of academic and research institutions (e.g. Forschungsstelle Osteuropa) and NGOs (e.g. Klimawerkstadt Bremen) in the city, Lower Saxony and abroad (e.g. the Higher School of Economics in Moscow).
