Who becomes a “victim” in collective memory, and how is this status constructed, reinforced and employed within memory politics? These questions lay at the heart of the student and doctoral researchers’ conference organised as part of Tadeusz Kopyś’s research project, “The Topos of the ‘Victim’ in Historical Memory Politics and National Memory (including Memory Politics) in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.”

On 19–20 October 2026, the conference “The Iron Curtain: Memory, Borders and Political Transformations in Contemporary Europe” brought together students, doctoral researchers and early-career scholars from the Jagiellonian University and other academic institutions in Poland and abroad. The event provided a forum for discussion on the legacy of the Iron Curtain and its significance for contemporary Europe.

Prof. Krzysztof Koźbiał represented our Institute at the International Scientific Conference “Supporting Passions, Discovering the World, Building Collections”, held on 22–23 October 2026 at Suski Castle as part of the 2nd International Museum and Arts Festival, the Branicki Festival.

History is not only about great names and landmark events that make the front pages. It is also shaped by individuals whose stories have remained in the shadows for many years.
On 28 and 29 September, the Kazimierz Wielki University Library in Bydgoszcz hosted the national academic conference “Unsung Heroines and Heroes of the 19th and 20th Centuries: History and Memory”, organised by the Faculty of History at Kazimierz Wielki University.

On 16 October, the nationwide scientific conference “Where Are You, Europe?” was held at the headquarters of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) in Kraków. The event was devoted to assessing the state of contemporary Europe and its capacity to address the challenges arising from a rapidly changing international environment. It brought together leading scholars and experts specialising in geopolitics, demography, economics, culture, and European integration.