The MEMPOP Loading: Regional Perspectives on Memory, Popular Culture and Cultural Studies two-day international workshop that took place on June 6-7, 2024 at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana featured a selection of presentations on diverse current research and stressed the need for more interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary popular culture. The workshop concluded with an initiative to establish a regional network bringing together cultural studies scholars in and from Central and South-Eastern Europe. 
 
The workshop brought together researchers interested in popular culture and collective memory from Central and South-Eastern Europe. Besides MEMPOP research team members of the ZRC SAZU, the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, the Alpe-Adria University in Klagenfurt, and the University of Belgrade also participated. Furthermore, the event marked the 30th anniversary of the Department of Cultural Studies.
 
The first day consisted of presentations that foregrounded the role of popular music in the formation of collective memory, the speakers highlighting media and generational differences, as well as methodological approaches to the exploration of big data and internet environments. Irena Šentevska’s keynote lecture offered a glimpse into her new book, Raspevani Beograd: Urbani identitet i muzički video – an extensive  comprehensive study of the historical entanglements between Serbian popular music, urban identity, and music videos.  

The red thread running through the presentations in focus on June 7 was the diversity of popular-cultural memory formations, their social and ideological role, and the relevance of memory studies to areas like  gaming cultures. The participants discussed the contribution of murals, film festivals, and public commemorations to collective memory in the former Yugoslavia, and the historicization and contemporary research of computer games. 

The workshop ended with a round table on Cultural Studies in Central and South-Eastern Europe, with the participation of representatives from the University of Ljubljana, ZRC SAZU, University of Rijeka, Alpe-Adria University in Klagenfurt, and the University of Belgrade. In addition to outlining the rich history of cultural studies in the region, their role, and challenges in contemporary social and scientific reality, the participants also discussed the need for knowledge exchange and future regional integration.