CAS SEE Fellowship

I never imagined the ongoing extent of support, community, and vibrant intellectual culture the Center has provided… a crucial infrastructure for developing a progressive and thriving research culture in Southeastern Europe.

CAS seminars were beneficial in keeping me up to date on the state of the art in area studies… I was able to invite four guests to take part… This was my first time organizing talks and I felt that this experience was a valuable one for me at this stage in my career.

Foodwave 2021 seminar hosted in the splendid setting of Moise Palace. The motivation of the speakers and the multidisciplinary approach allowed us to focus on those sectors of the food system that now more than ever require our commitment: the elimination of gender inequalities and a public procurement oriented towards sustainability.

It was a great experience. Its lively intellectual community is very committed in tackling urgent political issues and in fostering a dialogue between theorists and activists (and people who are both). These are just two among the things that I have enjoyed the most. And the research center at Moise Palace is such a rare beauty!

Rijeka offered an amazing space to work. CAS SEE opened a lot of possibilities for networking, although the events were sometimes quite abstract and many times academic. I enjoyed my fellowship a lot… made new collaborations, and would be thrilled to work again in the future with the collaborators who were included in the organization.

The entire fellowship experience could not be more positive. The month I have spent in Cres ranks among the best academic experiences I had in my life. I can only thank all of you from the University of Rijeka, specially Sanja, Petar, Lucija, and Marko-Luka for all the support during these months. I would also like to comment on the quality of the other fellows’ projects, which has fostered a very prolific environment of intellectual exchange.

Interdisciplinarity has always been at the core of the research activities of CAS in Rijeka. The intensive workshop held in the Moise palace, on the island of Cres, was a testing ground for such an approach. Vibrant debates, diverse sections, food for thought characterized that week as an intriguing time of intellectual exchange.

I had the opportunity to interact with brilliant colleagues from different research fields. Indeed, interdisciplinarity is a strength of the CAS SEE. At CAS SEE, I found a philosophically inspiring, productive and friendly environment to boost my professional and scientific growth.

Chasing Albanian presence at the level of symbolic and spatial terms – the core of my research in Western Europe, bring some new thoughts on the migration patterns. The specific of Rijeka – migration and the dynamic ambient of the city, brings new insights into my current projects. Amazing infrastructure made my training mobility not just intense scientifically but also smooth.

I have only positive experiences from my fellowship at CAS SEE. The organization was very good. I had the opportunity for intellectual exchange, which boosted my work. The work place was provided. Additionally, a major conference in Belgrade was organized and we had the opportunity to participate in it.

This was a wonderful opportunity to connect with new and old colleagues and develop my research. Thank you, CAS team, for everything!

Made me realize how the multidisciplinary approach is a very important guideline for the center. Despite the specialism, increasingly frequent in the academic world, the events planned by CAS’s fellows showed a profound heterogeneity that enriched our minds, leading us to deepen and problematize the connections that emerged, sometimes naturally sometimes casually, during the seminars.

My stay at the CAS SEE in Rijeka included me into a small, but vibrant generation of fellows. Focusing on discussion, debate, and critical thinking provided my research with contrasts, re-evaluations and nuances. Amongst others, this is why I consider the CAS SEE fellowship as one of the cornerstones of critical academic thought in Southeast Europe, which in this sense, produces not only an environment for future research, but also conveys a message of excellence, cooperation and social involvement.

The ambiance of this island in November gave us enough free (mental) space to enjoy while working and thinking through about some ideas while reading or contemplating by the sea. This place, both the island and the Moise Palace are almost destined for giving birth to big ideas and significant talks and agreements.

With their instant response came such an inspiring place for our project – a historical jewel of our old town, the newly renovated Moise Palace. It was more than we could hope for! We got a place that is pleasant, clean and well looked after and in which we have everything we need. We are really grateful to the University of Rijeka for their encouragement and support.

I felt extremely welcomed and encouraged to do my research by Prof. Bojanic. The administrative support was outstanding too. We have had a series of international conferences and the privilege to perform and attend the Western Balkans Summit in Trieste. Very enriching academic experience because it involved many different stakeholders and academic institutions.. If I had the chance I would re-do it again!