When the transfer of modern sciences to and the study of the Black Sea Region (BSR) began in the late 18. century, this area was not yet considered part of Europe. The proposed inter/multidisciplinary research and exchange project’s title refers to that fact. Knowledge and science exchange between Europe and the BSR intensified in the course of the 19th and early 20th century and was interrupted when as result of WWI/WWII a significant part of the BSR was integrated into the Soviet Union’s orbit. The BSR disappeared behind the Iron Curtain and the academic cultures of West and East drifted apart. The previous 25 years have witnessed strengthening ties between BSR countries and between the BSR and the rest of Europe as well as globalisation of knowledge and scientific exchange. The integration of the BSR into the European Research Area (ERA) is on the way but not yet completed. The proposed project provides excellent opportunities to critically reflect the sketched processes and to look into future.
The suggested project’s quality, credibility and novelty lies in its
* attempt to systematically investigate knowledge and cultural exchanges between the BSR and Western Europe from the late 18th century to the present,
* theoretical and methodological approaches with the potential to establish new pathways for future research and in its foregrounding of gender aspects.
The suggested project establishes a network consisting of 12 research institutions from 12 BSR countries and Austria. It includes representatives of all the core disciplines of the humanities emerging around 1900.
Innovative aspects of the proposed project consist of 1) drawing attention to an emerging region (BSR) consisting of countries previously considered as belonging to separate historical regions, 2) systematic investigation of knowledge and culture exchange within and beyond the region, 3) innovative theoretical framework, 4) inter/multidisciplinary methodology and 5) explicit gender perspectives.