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Zoom - Dialogues européens (table ronde)

“The Eastern border in the European imaginary”

Thursday 30 November - 14.30-16.00 – “The Eastern border in the European imaginary”.

Updated on 24/11/2023

2 min

Throughout the 20th century, Central and Eastern Europe experienced a number of territorial divisions and boundary changes in the midst of invasions and the upheavals or the accelerations of history (fall of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, collapse of the Soviet Bloc, the recomposition of nations…). The gradual integration of new countries into the European Union altered the geopolitical equilibrium, de-correlating the European Area’s administrative organisation from matters of identity and culture. Added to this is the proximity of Russia, the perception of which varies according to whether European populations directly or indirectly experienced the former Soviet domination, and the reality of a new war initiated in Europe by Russia. What shared sense do we then have of East-Central European area? What is its geography? And to what extent does the war in Ukraine reinforce its cohesion and influence within Europe?

Moderator: Vykintas Pugačiauskas, LRT TV Foreign News Editor

With

Dr. Inga Vidugirytė-Pakerienė

Director of the Institute for Literary, Cultural and Translation Studies at Vilnius University (Lithuania)

Dr. Inga Vidugirytė-Pakerienė – Director of the Institute for Literary, Cultural and Translation Studies at Vilnius University, associate professor at the Center for Comparative Literature Studies, author of the books “Balmont’s Lithuania” (2005), “Culture of Laughter” (2012), “Gogol and the Geographical Imagination of Romanticism” (2018). She teaches Modern Literature of East and Central Europe, Literature and Space, and Culture of Laughter. At the moment, she does her research in urban aspects of contemporary Lithuanian women’s literature. In 2017–2020, she worked as a Cultural Attaché at the Lithuanian Embassy in Moscow.

Michel Duclos

Diplomat and Special Advisor and Resident Senior Fellow, Geopolitics and Diplomacy at Institut Montaigne (France)

Michel Duclos, Special Advisor and Resident Senior Fellow, Geopolitics and Diplomacy at Institut Montaigne, is a diplomat. He served as a Counselor in French Embassies in Moscow and in Bonn. Head of the disarmament department at the Quai d’Orsay from 1994 to 1998, Ambassador at the Political and Security Committee in the EU, from 2000 to 2002, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations from 2002 to 2006, he was Ambassador of France to Syria from 2006 to 2009. He is the author of several books, the last one being Guerre en Ukraine et nouvel ordre du monde (2023), co-edited by Institut Montaigne and Editions de l'Observatoire.

Eeva Eek-Pajust

Advisor to the Policy Planning Department at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Former Director of the Lennart Meri Conference (Estonia)

Eeva Eek-Pajuste recently served for five years as director of the Lennart Meri conference (high scale international security and foreign policy annual conference in Tallinn, Estonia) in ICDS think tank. In September 2023 she joined policy planning group in MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) of Estonia. Previously she has worked on several diplomatic posts in MFA of Estonia, served in Estonian embassies in Riga, Paris, Washington DC and Estonian Representation to the EU in Brussels. Graduated (MA) from Tartu University as historian with specialty of ethnology. Bestowed by president of Estonia The Order of the White Star for services rendered in government service, and several other governmental rewards. Composer of two volumes of re-establishing foreign service in Estonia (Second Coming, Story of Re-establishing Foreign Service).

Fabrice Puchault

Director of ARTE France's Society and Culture unit

Born in 1965, Fabrice Puchault studied literature and is a graduate of the French National Film School (FEMIS). An independent documentary producer (1992-2003), he joined France Télévisions in 2003, working for France 3 network, in charge of the Nature, Science and Discovery programmes and international co-productions. He joined France 2 in november 2005, where he was Deputy Artistic Director for magazines and documentaries, then Secretary-General for the channel's programming (2008-2011), before being appointed Director of France 2's documentary programming unit in 2011.
Since February 2016, he has been Director of ARTE France's Society and Culture unit, encompassing documentaries and magazines dealing with Investigation, Geopolitics, Society, History, Culture and creative documentaries.

L'institut français, LAB

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