Call for Papers for S 23 at EAUH Conference in Ostrava, 4-7 September 2024.
Border cities are seismographs of international relations. In times of peace and cooperation their economies can flourish and people from both sides of the border can interact. Consequently, they are also the first that witness repercussions of rising international tensions. Focussing on situations of (perceived) military threat from the neighboring country, this session will shed light on the various implications that modes of international politics have on urban societies and local communities since the 19th century in Central and Eastern Europe. On the one hand, towns and cities themselves will be object of investigation. How does the situation of rising hostilities affect local politics? How do modes of inclusion and exclusion change? What actors dominate the scene and within which discourses are they located? These questions are in particular interesting in multi-ethnic urban settings. It will involve the issue of how the function of border towns and cities as logistical backbone for military activities influences local politics and the economic life of these places. Once military troops are stationed, are they perceived as protectors of the city or rather as danger? How does the growing visibility of the military affect the security and gender roles in the city? And can the urban elite maintain its right to self-governance in this moment of massive intrusion by central state power executors? How do local actors position themselves vis-á-vis central state activities? Another field of investigation will concentrate on how specific parts of the urban population deal with the perspective of their city eventually becoming a military battleground. What measures do they take to prepare and to protect themselves and their property? When do they decide to leave the city and how does this affect the urban life? A special focus will be laid on stakeholders of urban heritage and their role in the preparation and protection of the tangible as well as intangible heritage of the city.

On the other hand, we are interested in the role border towns and cities play within the state-wide discourse produced during the preparations for an awaited attack. What argumentative function is ascribed to them to mobilise the population for the foreseen military campaign? What role do militaries ascribe to border cities for the general combat morale as well as for strategic planning? And what measures does the central state undertake to prepare the hinterland for sustaining the city and to evacuate its population in case this will be necessary? By combining both perspectives, this session will provide insights into the complex interplay between the central state and urban communities in general as well as border towns and cities in particular. It will highlight the analytical potential of extraordinary situations to understand the complexity of urban settings in respect to political discourses and their existing, though not always openly visible, conflict lines.