“Mind Sharpener” – a series of lively, thought-provoking talks and debates rooted in academic research but of general interest and open to everyone. Topics range from political theory to poetry, from violence in discourse to the origins of language. The idea is to bring the fruits of research to a wide and diversified audience, and let the audience become an active participant by raising questions, proposing solutions, engaging in the tasks and activities provided by the speaker.
Everything will take place in an informal and cosy atmosphere, enjoying a cup of tea or a glass of wine. All the discussions will be held in English.
“Since the establishment of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, after the end of the First World War, Western European travellers had various opinions about the three Baltic States. For some the region seemed like a wonderful but culturally underdeveloped land, for others it had striking similarities to the native Western Europe. In any case, Baltic countries have been associated with a kind of “intermediate territory”, where multilingual, multiconfessional cities intertwined with indescribable atmosphere of towns, where heroic social figures coexisted alongside politicians with suicidal impulses, and where chaos merged with surprising behaviours of people.
Where did these contrasting opinions come from? How can the foreign view help us in understanding our own relationships? And how did the new technologies contribute to the emergence of a new image of the Baltic countries?”
Andrea Griffante (Italy, 1980) is a senior scientist in political science and diplomacy at Vytautas Magnus University. After graduating from the University of Trieste, he acquired a Ph.D. degree from the Lithuanian Institute of History and the University of Klaipėda. A. Griffante is an author of two monographs and many articles about the first half of the 20th century Lithuanian history.
All the events will be shown live on our Facebook page.
Do you want to propose a talk and/or share your research with us? Write to davide.castiglione@gmail.com with your proposed topic.
This talk is part of “Young Ideas” project – a series of cultural and artistic events focused on development of contemporary and innovative ideas, as well as supporting young, up and coming artists, musicians and makers. The project is partially funded by Vilnius City Council.
Free entrance. Donations welcome.
