The definition of emigration, in any of its contexts, is often based on binary systems and established oppositions involving axiological disputes: homeland versus foreign land; return versus departure; rootedness versus uprootedness; choice versus necessity; migration versus stabilisation; stranger versus one's own; gain versus loss. The duality of biographies and experiences, coupled with an awareness of the similarities in human destinies across Central Europe and the Balkans, is an important reason why we wish to revisit the subject of emigration. The planned issue of Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne (Poznań Slavic Studies) aims to provide an opportunity to explore literary perspectives on emigration, read emigration literature, reflect on artistic case studies of emigration and examine language in the process of change. Various experiences and events in recent years (notably the Polish context, the migration crisis on the Polish–Belarusian border, and the waves of emigration from Ukraine) clearly demonstrate that the region of Central Europe can still be described and analysed through the prism of the refugee experience. In his article 'The Historical Significance of Central European Emigration', Krzysztof Dybciak refers to the various interpretations of Central Europe:
Various attempts have been made to define our region. I propose another definition for the modern era: 'Central Europe is a collection of nations whose existence is under threat, resulting in emigration.' Paraphrasing the formulas of Christian philosophy somewhat jokingly, one could say that proof of the existence of Central Europe (of the a posteriori type, for example, cosmological) can be derived from the existence of diasporas.
Of course, emigration is not a Central European invention. This somewhat perverse suggestion of a regional definition of refugeehood is too generalising and depreciates other non-Central European migrations. Similar provocative theses were put forward by Josef Kroutvor in his essay Potíže s emigrací. Intelektuál na útěku (Problems with Emigration: The Escape of an Intellectual), published shortly after the Velvet Revolution, assigns a significant place to Slavic emigration among European refugees. Therefore, it is worth taking a fresh look at the experience of emigration and re-examining its regional definition.
In light of the undeniable relevance of being forced to leave one's homeland, we would like to invite you to contribute to a volume devoted to contemporary 21st-century Slavic diasporas, offering a regional perspective on the issue of emigration. We aim to revisit Central Europe, the Slavic countries and the Balkans as places of origin and destination for migration, exploring how the refugee past of these areas resonates in the present. We propose that articles submitted for publication in the planned volume should focus particularly on:
- a revision of Slavic/Slavic experiences of emigration in the context of the region's literary, linguistic, political and social present;
- (re)defining terminology: emigrant, exile, refugee (who were and who are the people leaving their homelands); political, economic and internal emigration;
- the transnational community (?) of the emigration experience (from a contemporary perspective);
- language in the process of adaptation and linguistic aspects of refugeehood;
- emigration as a regional experience (in the Slavic, Balkan and Central European contexts);
- contemporary migration crises and their literary representations;
- multilingualism in literature and culture;
- multiple perspectives and multiple biographies;
- cultural reinterpretations and metaphorisation of the experience of refugeehood.
Texts of up to 35,000 characters in Slavic languages, English, or other conference languages should be submitted via the Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne website on the Pressto platform Submissions | Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne) by the 30th of April 2026. You will also find there guidelines for Authors. Articles should be supplemented with the Author's ORCID number, email address, an abstract in English and the original language (approximately 1,000 characters), keywords in English and the original language, and a note about the author in English (up to 700 characters).
Please confirm your participation in the volume by the end of January 2026.