Invitation: Orthodox Churches and the Public Arena Today

We would like to cordially invite to a lecture given by Dr. Karin Hofmeisterová. We will discuss the influence of the orthodox churches today and their engagement in the memory politics. How does the Serbian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox Churches use the Holocaust as a symbol of suffering? What is the role of Orthodox Churches in identity-making and collective memory? How does it relate to the global revitalization of the public role played by religious traditions? The lecture will be followed by Q&A: Everything you always wanted to know about Orthodoxy but were afraid to ask!

Lecture and the following discussion will take place on Thursday, December 8, at 6:30 p.m. in Chapel in Voršilská 144 (room n. 523).

In the lecture, Dr. Karin Hofmeisterová, a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University and a recipient of the prestigious grant Claims Conference, will address these issues while focusing on the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in the post-Yugoslav public arena. In her work, she argues that victimhood-oriented memory-making has become crucial for the SOC and other Orthodox Churches to strengthen their power positions in public conduct. The Holocaust and Nazi persecution, as transnationally recognized symbols of suffering, have often served as a prism through which the Churches have delivered their mnemonic agendas.