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Cultures in Dialogue – a report from the International Conference Across Borders VII

On 27-29 April 2017, the 7th International Conference from the Across Borders series was organized in the Estonian town of Tartu under the heading Cultures in Dialogue. The idea of the conference was born over a decade ago among scholars and academic teachers affiliated with Krosno State College.

Since 2004 the conference was held regularly, alternating between the campus of Krosno College and other venues in partner academic and scholarly centers outside of Poland – in Slovakia and Hungary,  where it attracted mainly researchers specializing in English studies. This year 's, seventh conference took place in the charming town of Tartu, the former Dorpat – situated on the borderlines of empires and many cultures, it has become a traditional centre of academic and cultural life of Estonia, but also, which is important from the point of view of our conference – a symbol of crossing borders and changing Europe.  

Joint photo in the inner yard of the Estonian LiteraryMuseum

The conference keeps extending its geographical span from year to year and transcends borders both in the intellectual and practical sense. This year the initiators and promoters of the event were happy to be able to invite Estonian Literary Museum (Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum) and Estonian National Museum (Eesti Rahva Muuseum) to collaborate on the organization of the conference. Both of these institutions, highly important in contemporary Estonia, met their tasks in the best possible manner, creating a highly conducive atmosphere for intercultural research meetings. The first two days of the conference took place in the Literary Museum, while the Saturday panels, including the plenary lecture by Michail Lotman,  were held in the newly erected, monumental edifice of Estonian National Museum. The building, which is naturally symbolic, was raised on the landing strip of the former Soviet miltary airport, where Soviet strategic bombers were still located  in the 1970s and 80s, threatening the security of Europe.

The conference attracted more interest than initially expected, and the number of international partticipants (from Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Romania, Spain and Turkey) made it possible for the sessions to take place within  more than a single research area, including philology, sociology or history and thus making the debate  highly fruitful and creative. Scholars affliated with Krosno State College took active part in nearly all of the parallel sessions – on communication styles, contemporary media, ethnoliguistics, Germany, globalization, humour, language contacts, language teaching methodology, literature, Russia,  theatre, translation – speaking to interested and lively audiences.

Side by side with academic events, participants were treated to the accompanying cultural experience – a guided tour of the city which focused on the multicultural heritage of Tartu, including its many Polish traces,  as well as the visit to the highly modern exhibition of Estonian National Museum, rich in both the numer of exhibits and extraordinary display ideas.  We do hope that the contacts with our Estonian partners will bear fruit in new opportunties for Krosno students to organize their work experience stays in both of the museums.

Buildings of Literary Museum and National Museum (on the right)

Both in the Across Borders panel sessions and in the discussions over coffee, the concern was clearly emphasized about the future of Europe, in which diverse nations and cultures can transcend or even play down borders and find the platform for mutual understanding and discussion, as difficult as it may be sometimes, in peaceful, civilized circumstances, where sensitivities and values represented by “others” are respected.   

Krosno State College expresses its gratitiude to its Estonian friends for good cooperation and perfect organization of the conference.

Bartosz Gołąbek

·      Conference program

·      Book of abstracts

·      Conference website: http://www.folklore.ee/rl/fo/konve/AcrossBorders/2017/index.html

Pictures: Alar Madisson, Bartosz Gołąbek