The European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) took part in the 23rd International Oral History Association (IOHA) Conference, held under the theme “Re-Thinking Oral History” on 16–19 September 2025 at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland.
As one of the conference’s co-organisers, the ENRS presented the panel “In Between? Bridging Histories: Challenges and Innovation in Documenting European Borderlands.” The discussion focused on how oral history can uncover hidden layers of Europe’s past and explored the complexities of borderland regions where cultures, memories and identities intersect.
The panel featured:
Naum Trajanovski (University of Warsaw; PhD in Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences), who revisited the 2017 In Between? study visits to Mostar and the Prespa Lakes region, reflecting on the practical and political challenges of conducting fieldwork in post-conflict areas.
Liana Blikharska(PhD candidate, Ukrainian Catholic University; oral history researcher), who discussed the 2021 Polish-Ukrainian edition of In Between?, where oral history became a bridge for dialogue and creativity in times of uncertainty.
Joanna Orłoś (Head of the Educational Team, ENRS), who highlighted how In Between? has evolved into a unique educational initiative combining oral history, journalism and art to engage young people with Europe’s complex 20th-century legacies.
The discussion was moderated by Ewelina Szpak (ENRS; historian at the Polish Academy of Sciences).
Since 2016, the ENRS project “In Between? – Neighbours Meet in the Borderlands” has taken students and researchers to more than 25 border regions across Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, revealing not only histories of division but also stories of resilience, exchange and dialogue.
The 23rd IOHA Conference gathered nearly 400 scholars, researchers and practitioners of oral history from around the world. Organised by the Polish Oral History Association and the Faculty of History of the Jagiellonian University, the event was co-organised by several leading Polish and international institutions, including the ENRS.
The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Science and Higher Education, the Rector of the Jagiellonian University, and the Mayor of Kraków, and was financed from the Polish state budget by the Minister of Science and Higher Education.