More than 800 researchers from all parts of the world gathered in Rijeka for one of the largest international conferences in this region, the CEEISA-ISA Joint International Conference 2024. With the main topic of ‘Knowing the Global-local: Imagining Pasts, Debating Futures’, the conference gathers participants from as many as 65 countries – experts in the field of political science and international relations – to discuss topics of mutual interest, collaborate and participate in numerous sessions, workshops, panel discussions, and round tables.
The conference was organized by the International Studies Association (ISA), the oldest and largest professional association for the interdisciplinary study of international relations, and its regional partner, the Central and Eastern European International Studies Association (CEEISA), in cooperation with the University of Connecticut and local partner institutions – the Center for Advanced Studies of Southeast Europe and the University of Rijeka. From June 18 to 21, Rijeka will be the place for discussions and presentations of the latest research on Central and Eastern Europe, making this an excellent networking opportunity and the largest gathering of experts in international relations in Croatia until now.
In international studies, established analytical frameworks and the distinction between the local and the global are often taken for granted. They reflect epistemological authorities derived from social and material hierarchies. Such structures create and discipline political imaginations and policy-making, and support interpretations of current events even when unbiased professional opinion is claimed. Having that in mind, the conference aims to clarify the politics of knowledge and the processes of policy creation in the creation of the global-local.
The conference’s opening ceremony was held on June 19, at Exportdrvo in Rijeka, gathering numerous scholars, researchers, exhibitors, and lecturers. The opening ceremony was an excellent opportunity to host distinguished guests and representatives of the local, regional, and national authorities who showed their support and addressed the audience with their opening remarks, as follows:
• Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Rector, University of Rijeka;
• Radenka Marić, President, University of Connecticut;
• Filip Ejdus, President, Central and Eastern European International Studies Association (CEEISA);
• Mark A. Boyer, Executive Director, International Studies Association (ISA);
• Marko Filipović, Mayor, City of Rijeka;
• Petar Mamula, Deputy Prefect, Primorje-Gorski kotar County.
The opening ceremony also included a keynote lecture delivered by Jessica Pisano, New School for Social Research in New York City, whose lecture ‘On Intellectual Responsibility: Epistemic Resources in a Time of War’ touched upon the responsibility of university teachers in teaching about current events in the world. She referred to recent examples of student protests in the USA due to world wars, mentioning how students protested due to warfare in one particular area, while there were no protests due to warfare in other areas. She revealed the dilemmas she found herself in as a university professor and drew attention to the fact that we have to be(come) aware of the seriousness and reality of war, be it in Ukraine, the Middle East, or anywhere else.
After the lecture, Jessica Pisano continued her interaction with the audience by answering their questions, and the Q&A section was moderated by one of the Program Chairs, Xymena Kurowska from the Central European University.
