Get to know the researchers of this project.
A professor of contemporary history at the University of Fribourg, Matthieu Gillabert has published works on Switzerland’s cultural diplomacy, followed by extensive research on student mobility throughout the 20th century in Europe and North America. He is currently interested in the (post)colonial history of the university and students in Switzerland and Poland.
Dr. Mikuláš Pešta is a researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History of Czech Academy of Science and an assistant professor at the Institute of World History at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. He completed his Ph.D. in 2017. Since then, he worked as a post-doctoral research associate in the “Socialism Goes Global” project at the University of Exeter. He focuses on the contacts between Czechoslovakia (Central Eastern Europe) and the African and Asian countries and national liberation movements in the field of education, expert missions, cultural diplomacy, and secret services, including the promotion of revolutionary violence. Currently, he researches the role of Prague-based international organizations and student internationalisms during the Cold War and beyond.
Lidia Lesnykh is a postdoctoral researcher. Her study focuses on the CIA-sponsored International Student Conference, catholic Pax Romana and protestant World Christian Student Federation. She is particularly interested in analysing student cultural cooperation networks from the European perspective. Lidia previously examined the confrontation between international student organisations during the Cold War through the prism of sports. In 2021, she defended her doctoral dissertation “International University Sports Movement and the Fight for its Autonomy (1919-1961)” at the University of Lausanne.
Martin Pácha is a junior researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Czech History at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. His research focuses on the history of state socialism, repression of religious actors and the situation of students. Currently, he researches the Czechoslovak youth after the Second World War, their politicization and their position in the world student movement.
Timothy Schürmann is a research assistant in this project and a PhD student at the University of Fribourg. His current research focuses on the Swiss Student Union (VSS-UNES-USU) between Cold War agenda and the profound changes of the student body regarding social composition as well as cultural practices. He participates as a member in the doctoral programmes Regimes of Inequality and histoire contemporaine (CUSO). He completed his studies at the University of Zurich and was active in student politics.
project partners/experts
These valued partners follow the project and intervene as experts.
Constantin Katskakioris
الجامعة الأمريكية في العراق – بغداد (AUIB)
Kostis Kornettis
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Sandrine Kott
Université de Genève
James Mark
University of Exeter