From May 15 to 17, 2025, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka (FFRI) will host a three-day international workshop. The programme will not be confined to the Faculty alone, as certain sessions will take place at various locations across the city of Rijeka. The workshop features a mix of internal sessions and public events, including lectures, round tables, book presentations, and other curated gatherings. While several parts of the programme are open to the public, others are designed as internal working sessions.

The workshop opens in close connection with another public academic event: the international conference 80 Years Since the Liberation from Nazi-Fascism, organised by the Department of History at FFRI on May 14–15. Building on the discussions from this conference, the MEMPOP workshop will further examine the afterlives of antifascist memory in cultural and popular contexts.

A special highlight of the MEMPOP workshop is the Friday evening event Cultural Studies Connecting SEE, held on May 16 at Klub Palach. The programme will include the presentation of the Regional Cultural Studies Network, student initiatives, and an exhibition of recent publications. This public event serves as a meeting point for researchers, students, and cultural workers from across the region.
The detailed programme of the MEMPOP Rijeka Workshop is available below. For a quick overview, feel free to download the two brochures about the International Conference and the public parts of the workshop.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

18:00-20:00 Between the Local, the National, and the Global: 80 years since the End of the World War II

• Location: Muzej grada Rijeke – Kockica, Trg Riccarda Zanelle 1

A public roundtable event featuring Tvrtko Jakovina, Mila Orlić, Vjeran Pavlaković and Marko Medved.

Moderated by Ivan Jeličić.

Thursday, May 15, 2025

International Conference:

80 Years Since the Liberation from Nazi-fascism: New Insights, Contemporary Debates and Conflicting Narratives on the War and the Post-War Era

• Location: the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka (FFRI), room F-006

9:00-9:45 – Introduction and the plenary lecture

9:45-11.15 – Panel I

11:30-13:00 – Panel II

13:00-14:00 – Lunch Break

14:00-15.15 From History to Memory and Popular Culture

Roundtable featuring Vanni D’Alessio, Borut Klabjan and Martina Ricci.

Moderated by Vjeran Pavlaković.

15:30-17:00 RiMEMPOP Panel

Owen Kohl: Solidarity’s Multimodality in the Homemade Hip Hop Documentary

Mitja Velikonja: Spank the Orc! – Political Graffiti and Street Art of the War in Ukraine

Jasmina Šepetavc: Here it is: Queering Memories Through LGBTQ+ Film Festivals

Robert Bobnič: Yugowave: Internet’s Music on the Fringes of Yugoslav Postnostalgia

Rodoljub Jovanović: When the War Returns to the Wall

Gal Kirn: Virtual project ‘Rebellious Ljubljana’

Moderated by Natalija Majsova.

20:00 Book Presentation “Zidovi pamte” & Eric Ušić

• Location: ExLibris Bookstore, Riva Roduli 3b

A public book event featuring Mila Orlić, Mitja Velikonja, and (naturally :)) the author, Eric Ušić

Friday, May 16, 2025

10:00 Internal Memory Studies Walk

13:30-16:30 Internal Workshop Session

• Location: Filodrammatica, Korzo 28

20.00 Cultural Studies Connecting SEE

• Location: Klub Palach, Kružna ulica 8

A public event featuring several presentations and exhibitions, including the Regional Cultural Studies Network, various student initiatives, and a showcase of recent relevant publications.

Participants: Rodoljub Jovanović, Natalija Majsova, Brigita Miloš, Aljoša Pužar, Boris Ružić, Lucija Grubelić

Saturday, May 17, 2025

10:00 Internal Workshop Session

• Location: the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka (FFRI), room 804