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At the end of October, our team had the pleasure of hosting Dr. David Duindam from the University of Amsterdam for a fascinating seminar titled “The Ruins of Radio Malabar: Infrastructure as Colonial Heritage in Indonesia”. The presentation drew from the ongoing research project “Concrete Colonialism: Architecture and Heritage in Indonesia around Independence” which David conducts together with Dr. Rixt Woudstra and Anita Halim Lim, M.A.

David presented his findings and thoughts on the circulation, use, and afterlives of concrete in the former Dutch East Indies and postcolonial Indonesia. His project explores how this seemingly modern, durable material became entangled with histories of colonial governance, technological ambition, and nation-building. Focusing on two early radio stations, one in Kootwijk (the Netherlands) and one in Malabar (Indonesia), he traces how concrete connects infrastructures, landscapes, and political imaginaries across continents. The presentation highlighted how radio technology, landscape engineering, and colonial aesthetics intersected, turning “infrastructure” into both a material and symbolic bridge between Europe and Southeast Asia.

In an engaging discussion, team members reflected on themes of migratory heritage, the durability and decay of concrete, and the ways colonial legacies persist in postcolonial space. Questions of ethnographic method, environmental impact, and the emotional meanings of material heritage enriched the exchange.

We thank David for sharing his thought-provoking research and for inspiring our team to think critically about how materials themselves, such as concrete, carry histories of empire, memory, and transformation.

At the beginning of October, Magdalena took part in her mid-term doctoral assessment – an important milestone for every PhD researcher according to the Polish law on higher education. After the first two years of working, every PhD candidate is obliged to provide proofs of their work and discuss them with the impartial committee. Here, the evaluation committee consisted of dr hab. Anna Engelking, Professor at the Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences; dr hab. Robert Kulmiński, Professor at the University of Warsaw; and dr. Katarzyna Taczyńska, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. This meeting served not only to discuss the progress of Magdalena’s research so far but also to reflect on future directions and upcoming research goals.

We are happy to share that the committee recognized that Magdalena is conducting her research in a timely and consistent manner, meeting all planned objectives and activities. She received a positive assessment, which means she can now continue developing the second part of her doctoral project.

Congratulations, Magdalena!

In her latest blog post, Magdalena Bubík takes inspiration from the exhibition “Liberec versus Jablonec” at the Severočeské Muzeum [the North Bohemian Museum] in Liberec. Moved by an old map covered with countless stickers, she explores the complex layers of memory, belonging, and identity tied to a place that has undergone a near-complete population change. What does it mean to feel “at home” when the past and present seem to speak different languages?

Blog post you can find here.

This time without Michal, the female part of our team decided to discuss the current Czech knowledge production about formerly German sites and cemeteries published this year in international journals. We gathered online to discuss the article titled: “Institutionalised amnesia? Exploring geographies of memory and the care of German graves in Central Europe: insights from the Czech Republic” written by Lukáš Novotný, a scholar based at University of Jan E. Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem and another article “Reanimation of abandoned places: three case studies from Czechia” by a collective of Czech authors. Novotný focuses on preserving the formerly German cemeteries in the Czech Republic and conducted interviews with mayors and professionals. His data illustrate very well that caring for cemeteries is not only a matter of international politics and ideology, but also everyday management that is difficult for small Czech municipalities. The Study of Kreisslová and a collective of authors is a comparative study of three cases of abandoned and destroyed formerly German villages in Czechia and bottom-up efforts to reconstruct or memorialize them. They focus on these alternative heritage preservation practices and hypothesize how they can inspire thinking about abandoned places in other regions. 

Both pieces inspired our writing about the region, and as both articles were published as open access, we encourage you to read them as well.

We invite you to explore the topic further and read about Karina’s recent field research, in which she describes how a group of volunteers cares for the damaged cemetery of the former German inhabitants of the village Čermná (German: Leukersdorf) near Ústí nad Labem (German: Aussig).

As part of her field research, in mid-October Karina Hoření took part in the Wandelust event organized by artist Lucie Králíková. For several years now, a group of volunteers has been caring for the damaged cemetery of the original German inhabitants in the village of Čermná (German: Leukersdorf) near Ústí nad Labem (Aussig). This initiative, of which there are many similar ones in the Czech borderlands, is unique in that it included not only work on the graves but also an artistic performance in a local abandoned church. This event, which makes use of the specific necromantic atmosphere of abandoned sacred buildings in the former German borderlands while further aestheticizing it, attracted a diverse audience. Art school students, local residents, a Slovak writer, and finally two ethnologists researching the borderlands, all came together to pull weeds and plant new flowers. This event shows how Czech collective memory has established a way of remembering the German past and who the actors are that make it happen.

Lately, Michal Korhel had the pleasure of participating in the international conference “Das ‘Erbe’ – Praktiken und Akteure in grenzüberschreitender Perspektive”, organized by the Deutsch-Tschechische and Deutsch-Slowakische Historikerkommission. The event took place from October 8–11 in the historic town of Kutná Hora, Czechia.

In his presentation, “Die Geister von Hauerland: Deutsches Erbe der Region Oberes Neutra seit 1945”, Michal shared insights from his ongoing research into the Hauerland region in central Slovakia — a once predominantly German-speaking area deeply affected by the post-1945 transformations. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, oral history, and archival sources, he examined how the traces of German heritage continue to exist in ambiguous and often ghostly forms, resonating with the philosophical concept of hauntology.

The presentation sparked a discussion around the interpretive potential of hauntology in historical studies, the role of local actors in shaping memory cultures, and the complex issues of guilt and reconciliation in postwar relationships between Germans and settlers. Michal also received valuable feedback and suggestions for further research — including a tip about a site rumored to be literally haunted by German ghosts.

Michal extends his thanks to the organizers and all fellow participants for the enriching exchange, thought-provoking questions, and inspiring conversations during these memorable days in Kutná Hora.

On October 9, Karolina presented her work on the Polish part of her research at the seminar of the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Her talk focused on the methodological challenges of working with hauntology, both in archival research and in ethnographic fieldwork. She discussed the underexplored topic of the second generation of settlers, as well as the methodological questions that arise when working with non-institutional archives, such as materials preserved privately in family homes rather than in public repositories. Karolina also reflected on how spaces, much like objects, undergo processes of resemanticization, acquiring new meanings through use, memory, and everyday practice.

The discussion that followed centered on both methodological and theoretical concerns, including the role of fact and conjecture in recounting histories, and the specific historical trajectories of the formerly German territories incorporated into Poland after 1945.

Karolina expresses her gratitude to the organizers for the invitation and for a rich and stimulating discussion that further deepened the methodological dialogue within our project.

On October 8, 2025, the studio “Duży Pokój” hosted a debate titled “What Remains: Experiencing History in Post-Migratory Central Europe.” The discussion was inspired by the latest issue of the journal Sprawy Narodowościowe. Seria nowa, which was edited by Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska and Michal Korhel (link to the editorial) and focuses on memory, identity, and heritage in regions affected by forced migrations. The issue also includes texts based on research conducted within the ERC Spectral recycling project. Karina Hoření, Magdalena Bubík, and Michal Korhel explored how memory and history are experienced through different lenses: Karina discussed the construction of national identities and ethnic tensions in the First Czechoslovak Republic; Michal examined the role of theater in Slovakia in bringing to life the memory of displaced German communities; Magdalena, in a review, focused on the emotional and historical significance of everyday objects in postwar Polish cities.

The event featured scholars: Kamila Fiałkowska (University of Warsaw), Agata Tumiłowicz-Mazur (New York University), and Dariusz Stola (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences). The debate was moderated by Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska, project leader of the ERC StG Spectral Recycling and co-editor-in-chief of Sprawy Narodowościowe.

Participants explored questions about what it means to experience history and what remains with us in everyday life. They reflected on the nature of memory and the complex intertwining of personal biographies with collective history.

We thank everyone for their presence, thoughtful questions, and inspiring conversation!

Participants of the event. Photos: Wiktoria Nylec.

At our first seminar after the summer break, we discussed the upcoming themes for this semester and, above all, exchanged experiences from the past months of fieldwork. Much of our work this season unfolded in Slovakia, which naturally became the central point of our conversation.

Karin opened the meeting with reflections from her Slovak fieldwork, focusing on the tensions between two distinct strands of local memory: the remembrance of a German past and the commemoration of the Slovak National Uprising. Her observations led to a broader discussion about the position of the ethnographer in the field: how researchers are perceived by local inhabitants, and how aspects such as gender and appearance may influence these perceptions. As these issues remain insufficiently theorized within our field, the discussion raised important methodological and ethical questions.

Michal also shared insights from his time in Slovakia, presenting how he approached memory through walking, following his experiences from Czechia, which he wrote about in one of the blog posts. By retracing parts of the Slovak National Uprising trail, he explored how movement and sensory engagement can contribute to an understanding of memory in place. His presentation prompted a collective reflection on accessibility in fieldwork: which spaces and communities are open to us, which remain closed, and on how these dynamics may intersect with broader processes of depoliticizing the German past.

Karolina then presented her ongoing work in Pomerania, where she is completing her field research. She focused on her collaboration with the Wałcz Land Museum, where she is engaged in preparing an exhibition as both part of her ethnographic engagement and her responsibilities as a member of the museum’s scientific council. Her reflections highlighted the intersections between research, curatorial practice, and institutional cooperation.

Although Magdalena could not attend the meeting in person, she shared a written report from her fieldwork in Northern Bohemia. Her research in these couple of months followed the trajectories of objects connected to Protestant communities, exploring how material traces mediate memory and belonging in the region.

The seminar served as a valuable space to reconnect after the summer and to consider how our individual field experiences speak to each other. The discussions revealed the thematic continuities across our projects: from the politics of memory and local heritage to the position of the researcher within these entangled landscapes.

In mid-September (16–19), Magdalena had the chance to take part in the international conference Re-thinking Oral History in Kraków, organized as the 23rd meeting of the International Oral History Association (IOHA). Hosted by the Polish Oral History Association together with the Faculty of History at the Jagiellonian University, the conference brought together nearly 400 researchers from over 50 countries.

Among the highlights of the conference was a keynote by Mary Marshall Clark, Director of the Columbia University Center for Oral History Research. In her lecture talk, she reminded us of something simple yet profound: oral history takes time, it cannot be rushed. Her words resonated deeply with Magdalena, reinforcing her own experience that building trust, establishing relationships, and conducting meaningful interviews all require patience. Some insights simply take time to emerge.

Magdalena also had the opportunity to present her own paper: The Haunting Painting of Jesus. Obstacles and Alternatives in Conducting Oral History Research within Post-Displacement Regions. In her research on religious communities in regions marked by displacement, she has often found that the oral history method alone is insufficient and must be combined with other research approaches, like an observant participant. To illustrate this, she spoke about the painting of Jesus salvaged from a blown-up Lutheran church in Liberec. Today, the picture hangs in the Czech Protestant prayer house, the community that is the heir to this building. 

The conference program covered a wide range of themes, including minorities, migration, wars and armed conflicts, as well as ethics and the challenges of digitization. Beyond the lectures, what Magdalena valued most were the conversations, both formal and spontaneous. Some continued on long walks through Kraków’s royal old town, others during a festive dinner at Kościuszko Mound. Magdalena was delighted to return to the city where she once studied, this time in a new capacity, as a researcher.