CEU Podcasts

In this interview, Michał Machalski discusses his recent thesis research into rulers, subjects, and loyalty in 13th Century Poland’.   The thirteenth century in Poland was a period of intense turmoil and fragmentation, with many of the nobility battling for supremacy, and for the right to be King, while the Teutonic Knights made increasing incursions into Polish lands.In this complex and fractured period, Michał looked at aspects of loyalty between the rulers from the local Piast dynasty and their subjects; how this loyalty was expressed, enacted, enforced, rewarded, and when lacking, how disloyalty was punished.  Although loyalty within the church was beyond the scope of his research, Michał explains how senior Bishops became arbiters of loyalty and guarantors of oaths.  Michał shows how through declarations and demonstrations of loyalty, the Polish society was held together and enabling Kazimierz III the Great to gain the throne and unite Poland. This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Department of Historical Studies.Image - Duke of Wroclaw & Krakow Henryk IV Probus, from Codex Manesse 1305-40 (27668147667)

The Collaborative Seminar Cultures of Hate and Oppression was coordinated to address the complexities of these topics that are of urgent global importance in our era of continuing discrimination, forced migration, socially sanctioned violence, and war.2026

The Collaborative Seminar Cultures of Hate and Oppression was coordinated to address the complexities of these topics that are of urgent global importance in our era of continuing discrimination, forced migration, socially sanctioned violence, and war.2026

In this episode of the Protecting Academia at Risk podcast, we speak with Volha Davydzik, a Belarusian researcher working at the intersection of social and political philosophy, feminist theory, and protest studies.Drawing on her experiences across Belarus, China, and Germany, Volha reflects on academic displacement, mobility, care, solidarity, and the challenges of rebuilding an academic life in exile. The conversation explores the hidden labour of migration, the tensions between academic mobility and personal stability, and the ways in which gender and caregiving shape academic careers.The discussion also delves into Volha’s research on the 2020 Belarusian protest movement, examining infrastructures of care and solidarity, affective politics, protest art, and forms of collective resistance under authoritarianism. Together, we reflect on how care can function not only as a response to violence, but also as a political practice capable of sustaining collective life and imagining alternative futures.Volha Davydzik is a Belarusian researcher working in the fields of social and political philosophy, feminist theory, and protest studies. Her research focuses on the 2020 Belarusian protest movement, infrastructures of solidarity and care, affective politics, and forms of collective resistance under authoritarianism.Recent work:Davydzik, Volha. (2026). Choreography of Spaces and Bodies During Social Rebellion: the Case of the Belarusian Revolution. Journal of Belarusian Studies. https://doi.org/10.30965/20526512-12350039DAVYDZIK, Volia (2025) FROM UTOPIA TO VULNERABILITY: THE FEMALE BODY IN BELARUSIAN ART OF THE 20TH-21ST CENTURIES. URL: https://chrysalismag.org/project/female-body-in-belarusian-artDAVYDZIK, Volha. (2025). CYBERFEMINISM AND THE BELARUSIAN UPRISING: DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURES, AFFECTIVE SOLIDARITY, AND POLITICAL IMAGINATION. Topos, (1), 226-243. https://journals.ehu.lt/index.php/topos/article/view/1486/1195DAVYDZIK, Volha, STEBUR Antonina. (2024) INVISIBLE NETWORKS: TECHNOLOGY’S DUAL ROLE IN CARE AND POLITICS IN BELARUS// https://jordanrussiacenter.org/blog/invisible-networks-technologys-dual-role-in-care-and-politics-in-belarus.DAVYDZIK, Volha, STEBUR Antonina. (2023) FEATURES AND EFFECTS OF THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BELARUSIAN PROTEST, Digital Icons, (22), 23-44.

In this episode of Protecting Academia at Risk, Elena Trifan speaks with researcher Venera Régent, WPZ Research, about universities living through war, armed conflict, and systemic crisis.The conversation explores the Erasmus+-funded project CLOUD HED - Disaster Resilience in the Higher Education Sector via a Cloud University Model, which investigates how higher education institutions adapt under conditions of disruption and uncertainty. Together, they discuss academic resilience, digital infrastructures, institutional survival, well-being, and the human relationships that sustain academic life in times of crisis.The episode also discusses the forthcoming volume Higher Education in Times of War and Crisis: Institutional Resilience, Responses, and Preparedness in Contexts of Armed Conflict and Systemic Disruption, expected to be published by Brill in late 2026.Listen to the Protecting Academia at Risk podcast series via the CEU Podcast Library:https://podcasts.ceu.edu/series/protecting-academia-risk-towards-new-policy-agenda-thriving-culture-higher-education-europeFollow Protecting Academia at Risk on Facebook and LinkedIn for future episodes and updates.The volume in press, Higher Education in Times of War and Crisis: Institutional Resilience, Responses, and Preparedness in Contexts of Armed Conflict and Systemic Disruption, explores how higher education systems respond to extreme disruption caused by war, displacement, destruction, and political instability. Through case studies ranging from Ukraine and Israel to World War II, the former Yugoslavia, and the anticipatory cases of Poland, and Latvia, the book examines institutional resilience, crisis preparedness, and continuity strategies in higher education.The volume is a deliverable of the Erasmus+-funded project Disaster Resilience in Higher Education Systems via a Cloud University Model, which investigates emergency-driven digital transformation in higher education and the conditions for resilient, crisis-sensitive teaching and learning in virtual environments. More information on the project can be found at https://www.cloud-hed.eu/ or via https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/cloud-hed/posts/?feedView=all .

Dorottya Uhrin is an assistant professor at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Medieval History Department.  In this interview she discusses her on-going research into the phenomenon of the ‘virgin kings’ that occurred in the eleventh and twelfth centuries in Europe. Dorottya’s work focusses on Prince Emeric, the last surviving son of King Istvan I of Hungary who, according to his saintly legend, died a virgin.  She compares Emeric’s history and legend with those of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the English king, Edward the Confessor, who were, again according to their saintly legends, ‘virgin kings’.  Dorottya notes that while they were all venerated for their perceived sanctity, the image of the ‘virgin king’ as a positive phenomenon was short lived and their popularity was limited.  This was possibly due to the lack of legitimate heirs, which for Hungary caused significant internal conflict, and for England eventually resulted in a foreign invasion.This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Department of Historical Studies.

What happens when academic freedom stops being a principle and becomes a daily negotiation?In recent years, discussions about academic freedom have expanded rapidly. And yet, many scholars, especially those early in their careers, continue to navigate increasing pressure without clear tools, support structures, or even a shared language to describe what is happening to them.This episode brings together Andrea Peto (CEU) and Benoît Josset (Rennes University), contributors to a Pocket Guide for Academics at Risk, developed within OPEN COST Action project mapping attacks on higher education across multiple national contexts - along with support from Democratization at stake? Comparing Anti-Gender Politics in CEE and NME countries (Antigender-Politics) COST Action.The Pocket Guide comes with an thourhouly thought out platform offering different solutions and support: https://academicresilience.eu/Drawing on empirical research and lived experience, the conversation moves beyond abstract debates to focus on practice:How do attacks on academic freedom actually unfold?What are the warning signs, before they become obvious?Why is self-censorship one of the most pervasive and least recognized forms of pressure?And what can academics realistically do when institutions fail to protect them?The episode also addresses questions that are often ignored in formal discussions: digital security, mental health, and the material conditions of academic work under increasing political and economic constraints.Rather than offering a checklist or easy solutions, the pocket guide, and this conversation, insist on something more uncomfortable but more useful: awareness, preparation, and collective thinking.Because the most dangerous assumption remains the same across contexts: that it cannot happen here.Produced as part of Protecting Academia at Risk project, with support from the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

In this interview, Anna Boreczky discusses her fascinating research into the medieval illustrations of the story of ‘Apollonius, King of Tyre’ a romance from late antiquity which became a Medieval blockbuster, popular throughout Europe.Anna is an art historian and expert in medieval book culture, and is part of the Fragmenta et Codices research group in Budapest.  She starts by telling the story of Apollonius, King of Tyre, which is a moral story and an exciting adventure of love, fortune and marital fidelity spread over the eastern Mediterranean. In her forthcoming book, she discusses 26 illustrated books of the Apollonius story, made between ca. 600 and 1500. Her research includes two fragments; the first found in St Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai which is a palimpsest and forms part of a very early copy of the Gospels in Arabic; the second is called Apollonius Pictus and is kept in the National Széchényi Library in Budapest..   Anna’s principle interest is in the illustrations,  their role within the renewals of the story and within the narrative strategies employed by illustrated Apollonius books These images show that when the book was copied or printed, the illustrations were updated to the contemporary era to increase the engagement of the readers.  In addition, Anna’s research confirms that illustrated romances were known in late antiquity, and assumed to be highly popular, with obvious lasting appeal.The image shown here is taken from Heinrich Steinhöwel: Apollonius von Tyrus. Augsburg, 1476. Berlin, Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, 8 Inc 73, fol. 44r.This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Department of Historical Studies.

In this interview, Olga Kalashnikova and Jan Kremer discuss their on-going research into historical digital gaming.  They note that around sixty percent of the population regularly play digital games, and that historical games generally constitute twenty percent of the most popular games, implying that history sells games. Olga and Jan research not only the games and their developers, but most importantly, the gamers, focussing on how they understand the games they play and the history behind those games.  In this interview they consider if, and how the most popular historical digital games can change or re-enforce popular perceptions of history. And if they do, will this makes professional historians more or less relevant.  They also discuss how national governments might use historical digital games for political propaganda with an example of a game developed and marketed on behalf of the Russian state.  Finally Olga and Jan consider what might be better ways of using medieval, or any history, in digital games to ensure they are historically valid while still being entertaining and profitable for the developers.This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Department of Historical Studies.Photo image - Pentiment (2022), photo provided by the Obsidian Entertainment

The Collaboration Code is a podcast that explores engaged research and collaborative projects between academic and civil actors. In this second episode, together with Gabi Gőbl, we explore how engaged research can be done together with vulnerable groups in an ethical and non-intrusive way. We also discuss academia's responsibility towards society and the importance of knowledge sharing.The podcast was recorded at Central European University. The theme music was composed by Dominik Hollósi for The Collaboration Code.