In November 2015 a book titled “Memory and Change in Europe. Eastern Perspectives” was published by Berghahn Books. It is the outcome of the “Genealogies of Memory” project’s first few years of activity. The book was a starting point for this year’s edition of the project. Memory scholars were invited to participate in workshops where they would discuss the current state of research on memory and offer perspectives on the future development of the field.

The meeting was opened with a discussion by the book’s contributing authors and other experts. Reflections of respected researchers studying the concept of memory from a variety of perspectives inspired a broader discussion of the current state of memory research, the field’s heterogeneity and the regional diversity of research approaches. The debate will also be joined by memory practitioners who will try to answer the question of how academic research relates to social and political activities related to memory.

The second part of the meeting was to have a strictly working character. Representatives of several European memory studies centers will present their projects and discuss the challenges and limitations of the discipline. Later, during a brainstorming discussion, participants considered possible future topics for memory studies and propose ideas for common international projects and activities. The aim of the meeting was to inspire the participants to new initiatives and to contribute to the development of memory studies.