The JU History Students Academic Society will be hosting the annual 2nd Cracovian Congress of History Students, entitled ‘Colonialism and Decolonisation from the 15th to the 20th Century’. The event will take the form of an international scientific conference and will take place on 25-27 April in Kraków.

In the history of humanity, it is difficult to find a process on a comparable level to colonialism and its decay. Its extent has transcended the timeframes of traditional historical eras and has become a truly global phenomenon. From the ice-covered lands of Greenland, through the tropical forests of the Congo and Amazon jungles, to the peaks of the New Zealand Alps, everywhere we can find colonial history. Colonialism and decolonisation were complex processes that to this day raise many scholarly disputes about their territorial extent, their timeframe and the very nature of these events. However, there can be no doubt that these processes have shaped the modern global world and it is difficult to imagine reality without these massive phenomena.

The Congress themes will cover the period from the 15th to the 20th century. This timeframe has been chosen because the occurrence of colonial problematics in these centuries leaves no doubt. Nevertheless, the Congress organisers are aware of the ongoing disputes in the academic world about the 21st century form of post-colonial and neo-colonial issues, but the scope of these topics goes beyond the aspects of the science that is history.

Colonialism and decolonisation are both processes that particularly call for interdisciplinary study, and so we encourage not only historians and students of history to participate in the II Cracovian Congress of History Students, but also enthusiasts of political science, sociology, law, international relations and anyone interested in the topic of colonialism and decolonisation.

For more information about the event, please visit its official Facebook profile.