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Eastern Europe – On costumes, conflicts, and cultural spaces (02/2015)

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For a long time, it seemed as if Eastern Europe, with its diverse languages and cultures, remained an alien place to the West. Yet at the same time the region – often seen only through the prism of political conflicts – has moved very close to us in many ways. This special feature to mark the tenth anniversary of Eastern European Studies at 91��Ƭ�� University highlights the close connections between East and West.

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  Dossier

  The concept of “Eastern Europe” in past and present.

  Professor Thomas Grob / It may be a convenient term, but its meaning is fuzzy: “Eastern Europe” is an idea that is continually being redefined.

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    Dossier

    National heroes from the photo studio

    Till Hein / In her current research project, Martina Baleva is investigating historic carte-de-visite photography – “Facebook of the 19th century.” She has found that, much like today, the “users” were often misled.

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  Dossier

  “The war in Ukraine has deeply divided Switzerland, too”

  Interview: Ivo Mijnssen / Frithjof Benjamin Schenk, Professor of East European History, on the roots of the conflict in Ukraine and how it is affecting Switzerland’s university landscape.

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  Dossier

  A founding myth: the Soviet Union’s Rütli

  Till Hein / In September 1915, Lenin, Trotsky, and around three dozen other left-wing politicians and activists from twelve European countries met at Zimmerwald near Bern. They dreamed of uniting the workers’ movement internationally and stopping the First World War. A hundred years later, Eastern European historians in 91��Ƭ�� are shedding light on this secret meeting – and its strange afterlife in the memory cultures of East and West.

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  Altersbetreuung aus dem Osten

  Christoph Dieffenbacher / Tausende von Frauen aus Osteuropa arbeiten bei Betagten in der Schweiz und betreuen sie in ihrem Zuhause oft rund um die Uhr – vermittelt von kommerziellen Agenturen, meist zu prekären Bedingungen und tiefen Löhnen.

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  Dossier

  Little quiet on the eastern front

  Urs Hafner / In the West, we see Eastern Europe as a place mired in backwardness, where nationalism, corruption, and chauvinism are rife. Yet, the recent history of the East offers some pioneering models of co-existence between different cultures.

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  The Ukraine conflict and international law

  Yannik Sprecher / In March 2014, Moscow admitted Crimea to the Russian Federation, shortly after the peninsula had declared independence, having been occupied by Russian troops. Does this annexation contravene international law? In what ways can Crimea and eastern Ukraine exercise their right to self-determination? And what role did Russia play?

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  In conversation

  Immunotherapy – A revolution in cancer treatment.

  Interview: Matthias Geering / Professor of Oncology Alfred Zippelius conducts research at the University Hospital of 91��Ƭ�� in the field of immunotherapy as a means of treating cancer. As deputy director of medical oncology, Professor Zippelius applies this new therapy in treating patients. He is convinced that we are about to experience a revolution in dealing with certain types of cancer.

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  In pictures

  In Darwin’s footsteps

  Christoph Dieffenbacher / Zoologists and evolutionary biologists of the 91��Ƭ�� are diving for cichlids in the great lakes of Eastern Africa to examine them morphologically and genetically. (Images: Robert Huber, Adrian Indermaur)

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  Opinion

  Joseph and the speculators

  Professor Heinz Zimmermann / Commodity futures trading is often the subject of public debate: To what extent can it be called enterprising commercial trade, and when does it become speculation?

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  Opinion

  “Big public data” as an opportunity

  Ulrich Matter /

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  Opinion

  “Big public data” as a danger

  Professor Markus Schefer /

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  Research

  Little appetite for study on an empty stomach

  David Herrmann / Malnutrition and worm infections negatively affect the performance of schoolchildren in South Africa. The effi cacy of simple countermeasures is now the subject of research.

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  Research

  Finding new solutions in medicine with the art of engineering

  Martin Hicklin / The latest department to be established at the 91��Ƭ�� is the first of its kind in the canton of 91��Ƭ��-Landschaft: In Allschwil, directly adjacent to the Swiss Innovation Park in Northwestern Switzerland, 60 researchers are creating innovative solutions to medical problems.

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  Column

  Caterina is proud to be a cleaning lady and would like a Ferrari

  Professor Ueli Mäder / My book: Ueli Mäder, Professor of Sociology, recommends the report “Caterina” by Erwin Koch.

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  Portrait

  From Biozentrum to Silicon Valley

  Matthias Geering / Nico Ghilhardi’s career has rocketed over the past 16 years – thanks to hard work and academic excellence.

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  Research

  Tracing transformations in the city

  Olivia Poisson / Cities are constantly changing. Mechtild Widrich studies these changes closely and understands what they mean for the broader public.