Jena, September 02, 2026 – The research landscape in Jena has gained a new, internationally oriented center: The Imre Kertész Kolleg at the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität has commenced operations, focusing intensively on the history of Eastern Europe in the 20th century.
- Event: Official commencement of operations of the Imre Kertész Kolleg
- Location: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
- Focus: Eastern Europe in the 20th century (comparative historical experiences)
- Funding: 8.2 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Research over six years
Significance for the research landscape in Jena
The establishment of the Kolleg sustainably strengthens the humanities excellence of the Thuringian university city. The provision of 8.2 million euros in funding by the Federal Ministry of Research enables up to ten high-caliber international fellows to conduct research in Jena at a top European level each year. The institute is co-directed by a German and a Polish historian.
Central research priorities
The scientific program of the Kolleg focuses on four essential core areas of recent European history:
- Dictatorship, war, and violence
- Forms of statehood in historical change
- The upheavals toward modernity
- Intellectual horizons as well as self-perception and perception by others in Europe
In addition to traditional publications and conferences, there are plans to publish the results in the form of a four-volume handbook to objectively enrich and differentiate historical-political debates.
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Background: Namesake Imre Kertész
The Kolleg is named after the Hungarian Nobel laureate in literature, Imre Kertész. Kertész, who was deported as a teenager to the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps in 1944, processed these traumatic experiences in his literary work. The naming underscores the Kolleg’s goal of promoting a critical and democratic historical consciousness beyond national appropriation.
Source:
Kertész-Kolleg an Uni Jena gegründet – Pester Lloyd
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.