Studies on Conflicts and Authoritarianism

The research network “Studies on Conflicts and Authoritarianism” brings together scholars from different disciplines and regional contexts to explore the complex and interwoven dynamics of conflicts and authoritarian developments worldwide. International conflicts often fade from public and academic attention once their acute phases have ended – resulting in fragmented research and knowledge gaps in understanding long-term developments.

Convinced that these issues require continuous attention, the network aims to strengthen interdisciplinary and cross-regional academic exchange in this field. As research on conflicts and authoritarianism often remains regionally focused and rarely crosses disciplinary boundaries, the network places particular emphasis on openness to global perspectives and comparative approaches. To this end, it brings together researchers with different regional expertise in conflict and authoritarianism studies in order to learn from each other, to initiate collaborations, joint projects, and publications, and to make these research topics more accessible to a broader non-academic audience through the organisation of joint events.

The network has been formed in 2025 and it is funded by the Bremen Early Career Researcher Development (BYRD) of the University of Bremen.

Events

19 November 2025, Europapunkt Bremen
Book presentation (in German) of “Monuments and Territory: War Memorials in Russian-Occupied Ukraine” with Mykola Homanyuk and Mischa Gabowitsch. Part of the Odesa-Tage 2025.

30 September 2025, Forum Domshof Bremen 
“Patterns of Authoritarian Rule in Iran and Afghanistan” with Tareq Sydiq (University Marburg) und Sayed Maisam Wahidi (IFSH - University Hamburg), chaired by Yana Lysenko and Svetlana Erpyleva (both  Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen). Part of the annual conference of the Institute for Protest and Social Movement Studies.

13 June 2025, Europapunkt Bremen (in German)
„Krieg als Content? Digitale Kriegsführung und soziale Medien im Krieg gegen die Ukraine“ with Prof. Dr. Elena Korowin (Braunschweig University of Art) and Dr. Ramón Reichert (University of Applied Arts Vienna), chaired by Yana Lysenko (Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen)