Eastern Europe in Switzerland

The following is an overview of initiatives related to Eastern Europe in Switzerland, including Eastern European Studies degree programs at Swiss universities, networks, information platforms, and specialized libraries dedicated to Eastern Europe.

GCE-HSG: The Center for Governance and Culture in Europe at the University of St. Gallen (GCE-HSG) deals with the social, economic, political and cultural aspects of transformation processes in Europe from an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective. One of the Center’s main research areas covers the developments in the Black Sea countries, including Ukraine and the Caucasus region. The Center publishes the online magazine Euxeinos - Culture and Governance in the Black Sea Region.

Master Russie-Europe médiane, Université de Genève: Sur le plan historique, il s'agit des pays nés de la désintégration de l'URSS dans sa partie européenne (Caucase compris), ainsi que des pays qui ont connu un destin commun suite à l'instauration sur leur sol de régimes communistes. Ce Master n'est pas disciplinaire: si l'histoire et les études culturelles en sont les dominantes, d'autres disciplines, par exemple les sciences économiques et la science politique, sont également mobilisées à des titres divers dans le programme des enseignements. De même, ce Master étudie la Russie et l'Europe médiane dans leurs interactions et connexions avec d'autres espaces régionaux.

SOB: The Swiss Library of Eastern Europe (SOB) is a departmental library within the University Library that covers Eastern European contemporary history, politics and society. More than 160,000 volumes, journals and newspapers in both Eastern and Western European languages are available to researchers, students and all parties with an interest in the region. Most of the media can be borrowed. The SOB is a partner of the Eastern European Studies degree course at the Universities of Bern and Fribourg. The library regularly organizes events.

Eastern European Studies, Universities Bern-Fribourg: The Universities of Bern and Fribourg have a wide range of expertise on Eastern European affairs, which are bundled in a unique offering as the Eastern European Studies degree course. This inter-university study program has an interdisciplinary approach, with a focus on current affairs and recent developments in the region.

Eastern European Studies, University of Zurich: This study program is run by the Department of History and the Department of Slavonic Studies. The Eastern European Studies program combines the subjects of Eastern European History and Slavonic Literature and Linguistics. Additional courses related to Eastern Europe in other disciplines may also be incorporated. The degree program aims to give students not only an introduction to academic work, but also a deep, comprehensive grounding in the history, politics, languages, literature and culture of Eastern Europe. This foundation should equip students with the skills to analyze current events in the region. The Eastern European Studies degree program qualifies graduates to work in areas such as media, journalism, publishing, translation, cultural institutions and services, the diplomatic service, public administration, social services and NGOs

Eastern European Studies, University of Basel: The Eastern European Department is organized by the Chair of Eastern European History and the Department of Slavonic Studies. The departmental curriculum includes Bachelor’s degree programs in Eastern European Studies and Eastern European Cultures as well as Master’s programs in Eastern European History and Slavonic Studies.

URIS: The Ukrainian Research in Switzerland (URIS) initiative aims to make a long-lasting contribution to expertise on Ukraine in Switzerland. It fosters junior researchers and supports international networking between researchers on Ukrainian affairs at Swiss universities.