Elżbieta Opiłowska

Prof. hab. Dr. Elżbieta Opiłowska

University of Wroclaw (Poland)

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Guest researcher in July and September 2021 in the UniGR-CBS at University of Luxembourg

The UniGR-CBS talked to Elżbieta Opiłowska about her research stay

What is your background as researcher?

Well, I graduated in German philology at the Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin, then I did my second master’s degree in European Studies at the University of Leipzig and finally wrote my PhD thesis on memory cultures at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). Before entering the world of academia, I worked in the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe for two years.

Why is the UniGR-CBS an interesting partner for your research?

The uniqueness of the UniGR-CBS lies in the fact that by coming to the University of Luxembourg, I could establish contacts with partners from other universities who are part of the UniGR-network. Apart from conducting research, I therefore wanted to see how such a network works in practice to develop our Center for Regional and Borderlands Studies at the University of Wrocław.  

What kind of cooperation activities have been implemented during your research stay?

I have had many exchange meetings and inspiring discussions with colleagues. Moreover, I presented my current project on “Narratives and Imaginaries in Border Twin Cities” within the framework of the DGEO research seminar. Finally, I gave a lecture on “Determinants of cross-border cooperation in the Polish-German borderland” as part of the interdisciplinary conference series "Border Realities: Challenges and Perspectives in Uncertain Times". Overall, a lot of opportunities to share my research and get feedback.

How will the future cooperation look like?

I think we will continue to develop our cooperation. Some initiatives have already been launched. In cooperation with the University of Saarland we are going to submit a project proposal to the Polish-German Science Foundation. In addition, a conference panel and a publication are in preparation. And there are a lot of ideas around that we want to set up.