Call for application

Ports on the Danube since the 19th Century: History, Architecture, People
International Conference
Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad
Novi Sad, November 5-6, 2024

Call for application

The Institute of Danube Swabian History and Regional Studies in Tübingen invites researchers to apply for the conference "Ports on the Danube since the 19th Century: History, Architecture, People". The conference will take place from November 5 to 6, 2024 in Novi Sad and will be held as part of the international project "Ports on the Danube: History, Architecture, People" funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. The project focuses on the modern port facilities that have emerged since the 19th century and enabled the construction of larger buildings and infrastructure on the waterfront. The examination of the Danube ports covers several areas such as technical progress, urban development, social history and others.

In the last two decades, inland waterways, traffic corridors and urban port districts have increasingly attracted the attention of business and politics in the fields of transportation, trade and housing. This interest can also be observed to some extent in academia, for example when the sociological dimension of urban development or historical perspectives on waterways as enabling spaces for the circulation of knowledge, people and goods are examined. For the port facilities and port districts on the Danube, such a scientific thematization has been largely lacking to date. This stands in contrast to the importance of the Danube waterway for economic development in Central and South-Eastern Europe in the 19th century, which also led to the growth of cultural diversity in the cities and regions along the Danube. The Danube ports formed the hubs of such processes, were the carriers of a maritime culture and had a significant influence on the shaping of their surroundings. The networking between centers and peripheries, the urbanization of river landscapes, industrialization and regional and supra-regional cultural exchange were all influenced by the dynamics of the numerous port facilities over the last two centuries.

The conference brings together researchers on the ports and urban port areas on the Danube for a scientific exchange on their origins, function, form, social and economic impact on cities and landscapes as well as loss of significance and revitalization. Following the conference, a conference volume is planned to be published in 2026. In addition, the conference offers an opportunity for networking in order to collect exhibits and create a traveling exhibition on the same topic, which will be shown in Novi Sad, Budapest and Ulm at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026.

The conference is being organized in cooperation with the institutes involved in the project: the Hungarian National Archives in Budapest, the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad and the Institute of Danube-Swabian History and Regional Studies in Tübingen. The event is sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. Travel costs (2nd class: travel/flight + hotel: 3 nights) can be covered by the organizers on application up to a maximum of 400 euros and reimbursed after the conference. The conference language is English. Please submit an abstract of about 300 words and a short CV (maximum 200 words) by July 19, 2024 by e-mail to daniela.simon@idgl.bwl.de. Proposals for conference contributions should be based on the project themes presented here, deal with individual Danube ports or aim at comparisons. Interdisciplinarity is strongly encouraged. If you are submitting an application for reimbursement of travel expenses at the same time, please enclose a cost calculation.

If you have any questions, please contact PD Dr. Daniela Simon (daniela.simon@idgl.bwl.de).

Call for application (pdf)