Early Career Workshop - Spring 2026

The 2026 spring edition of the annual Early Career Workshop by the Chair of International Relations of FSU Jena was hosted in the Volkenroda Monastery between 23-25 March 2026. The event's goal was to bring together young researchers and provide an opportunity to present and discuss PhD dissertation projects. The participants represented a wide and interdisciplinary spectrum of research interests. Sessions delved into a number of topics, including Armenia’s russian and western policies after the 2020 War in Nagorno-Karabakh, the politics of autonomy in Myanmar’s Kachin movement, humanitarianism beyond liberal hegemony, politics of memory, the foreign policy of Hans-Dietrich Genscher during german unification, and the EU policy towards Transdniestria. There were a total of seven panels, with the goal being the provision of feedback for the presenters about their research, and to engage the audience in an exchange of ideas regarding theoretical and methodological approaches. Most of the participants stayed onsite in the picturesque village of Volkenroda. In the evenings, they socialized and enjoyed the wine selection of the monastery’s cellars. The event was chaired by Prof. Dr. Rafael Biermann and organized by Sungjin Park.