Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Faculty of Humanities, Department of History &
Centre for Cultural and Historical Research of Socialism

12^TH DOCTORAL WORKSHOP
Socialism and the Sea
Pula, 26-29 August 2026

Oriented towards PhD students in history, as well as in other fields of the humanities and social sciences, this year’s workshop will explore the relationship between socialist systems and policies on the one hand and the sea and the seaside as stages of historical events and processes on the other. Once secured by military power or political agreements, access to the coastline and to international waters offered opportunities for rapid economic development and became a source of national pride. Moreover, it opened new possibilities for cooperation and communication with foreign cultures and counterparts, whether statesmen, sailors, merchants, or travellers. Within a country, workers were turned into tourists, traditional fishing developed into an industry, shipbuilders learned to construct ocean liners, and windmills were replaced by power plants and pipelines. In its various forms, modernisation transformed villages into towns and cities, and dusty roads into highways. While migration brought people together into new urban structures, rural areas and the nearby hinterland often remained abandoned and forgotten, though sometimes ecologically preserved. How did socialist states, as well as socialist and communist parties and movements across Europe and elsewhere, deal with their maritime policies? Was the sea perceived primarily as a source of foreign threat or as a bridge to internationalism and solidarity? Ranging from its role as a dangerous divider in conflicts and disputes to a romantic setting enabling pleasure and encounters between like-minded people, the sea and its history reveal much about societies shaped along their shores. The workshop therefore invites contributions that examine coastal societies, maritime economies, littoral and land-locked perspectives, and various cultural and intellectual imaginaries of the sea in socialist discourse and practice.

CALL FOR PAPERS (16 March 2026)
APPLICATION FORM (Deadline: 15 May 2026)
 

Lecturers
Ruža Fotiadis, PhD (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Iva Kosmos, PhD (University of Zagreb)
Anita Buhin, PhD (Nova University Lisbon)
Prof. Igor Duda, PhD (University of Pula)

Organising Committee
Prof. Igor Duda, PhD (University of Pula)
Tina Filipović, PhD (University of Pula)
Anita Buhin, PhD (Nova University Lisbon)
Sara Žerić Đulović (IOS Regensburg)
Tin Celner (University of Zagreb)
Antun Dulibić (Institute of Art History, Zagreb)

Croatian version

For the previous workshops, please check the page menu.
11^th Doctoral Workshop (2025)