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The
enlargement of the European Union in 2004 changed the shape of the EU
and the continent. External borders were shifted, internal borders were
dissolved, old borders re-emerged, and new borders were established. It
is becoming clear that these processes are influenced not only by
political and economic factors, but to a large extent by basic
cultural, historic and social conditions as well. Analysis of all these
areas leads to a better understanding of Europe as a space
characterised by complex processes of establishing and transcending
borders. Such analysis is therefore of fundamental importance for
shaping the continent for the future.
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Against
the backdrop of this complex challenge, the German Association for East
European Studies (DGO) is hosting a European Congress under the title
"Transcending Europe’s Borders: The EU and Its Neighbours",
2-4
August 2007, in Berlin. The congress is to build on the success of the
ICCEES VII World Congress, which took place in Berlin in summer 2005.
The congress is to serve as the prelude to a series of international
conferences that will be held every two to three years to address
issues concerning the shaping of Europe’s future from the
perspective of all relevant disciplines. The congress will provide a
forum for representatives from the fields of Law, History, Political
Science, Cultural Studies, Economics, Slavic Studies, Geography,
Sociology, Religious Studies and other associated disciplines. The goal
of the congress is to promote international interdisciplinary
collaboration in researching European integration as well as Europe and
Eastern Europe, fields of study that have to this point co-existed more
or less separately.
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