Public Seminar: ‘Ukraine and Europe: Gaining perspectives’
European Union Centres Network Seminar
24 September 2014, 5.30-7 pm
Old Government House, University of Auckland
The conflict in Ukraine has been developing on our television news, in newspapers, and in media reports from the field.
But what caused this conflict and why? What are the likely consequences for the region, Europe and the wider world?
Three Ukraine experts will discuss these topics in a public seminar: ‘Ukraine and Europe: Gaining perspectives’, hosted
by the Europe Institute at the University of Auckland on Wednesday 24 September.
Professor Robert Greenberg, the University’s Dean of Arts, has taught and published extensively in the field of Balkan
studies and South Slavic languages and linguistics. He will discuss the historical contexts of Ukraine’s relations with
Russia and Western Europe and give some glimpses of how the situation in Ukraine has evolved over time, especially in
language, identity and political geography.
Associate Professor Natalia Chaban, a native of Ukraine, is the Jean Monnet Chair in European Identity and Culture and
Deputy Director the National Centre for Research on Europe at the University of Canterbury.
A specialist in media discourse analysis, Associate Professor Chaban has just returned from a visit to the region. She
will elaborate on how language, identity and history are reflected and refracted in in Ukraine in times of crisis. She
will also discuss how public perceptions and images of Europe and the EU are shaping Euopean Union-Ukraine relations at
the moment.
Nicholas Smith, PhD candidate in the University of Auckland’s Department of Politics and International Relations, will
present his research on EU-Russian foreign policy competition in Ukraine. He will also discuss Russia’s current and
possible future moves, Ukraine’s decisions, and what responses the European Union, NATO, and world leaders are likely to
make.
The Europe Institute’s director, Dr Mark Amsler, will moderate the seminar and direct questions from the audience.
This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please RSVP by 15 September. Email to: m.kanazawa@auckland.ac.nz
ends