Think rural in the Baltic Sea Region

Internationale Fachtagung
Foto: Mandy Jörn
Foto: Mandy Jörn

The Baltic Sea Region consists predominantly of rural spaces. However, current research of the area focuses strongly on centers and neglects the specific chances and challenges of rural regions. Most researchers (and politicians) address the rural areas from the perspective of the urban centers and see rural, peripheral regions as vulnerable. However, rurality is not primarily a deficit (e.g. poor infrastructure, ageing populations, migration), but a future potential for tourism, environmental health and innovation. Consequently, it is time to reflect on the chances, opportunities and challenges of rural regions in the respective countries and develop a new mind-set of “Think Rural”.

Scientists from different academic fields (e.g. healthcare, law, economics, geography, theology, arts) will meet from 23rd to 25th of March 2023 in Greifswald to develop this new mind-set and analyze common structures and characteristics of rurality in their professions. The interdisciplinary working groups “Think Rural” and “Baltic Sea Research” (IFZO) of the University of Greifswald will meet with colleagues from all Baltic Sea countries in order to practice “Think Rural”, gain new insights and start new research collaborations.

Digitale Tagungsmappe

Anmeldung
Sollten Sie digital an der Tagung teilnehmen wollen, schreiben Sie bitte eine E-Mail an folgende E-Mail Adresse, um den Zoom-Link zur digitalen Teilnahme zu erhalten: pia.schindelarzwiko-greifswaldde

Kontakt IFZO: 
ifzouni-greifswaldde

Kontakt Tagungsbüro:
Pia Schindelarz
Betreuung wissenschaftliches Programm
Telefon +49 3834 420 5016
pia.schindelarzwiko-greifswaldde

Programm:
Thursday, 23 March 2023

08.00 - 09.00 Registration

09.00 - 10.00 Welcoming & Opening Speech

  • Consortium Think Rural (Steffen Fleßa)
  • Rector of the University (Katharina Riedel)
  • IFZO (Sebastian Van der Linden, Cordelia Hess)
  • Ostseepolitik und -kooperation (Wolf Born)

10.00 - 10.30 Coffee Break

10.30 - 12.00 Paper Session 1 : Rural Health Care
Responsible: Steffen Fleßa, Wolfgang Hoffmann

  1. Governance of e-Health in Baltic States: similarities and differences (Daiga Behmane, Latvia)
  2. How eHealth could support managing integrated healthcare programs in rural areas. Insights from Poland (Iga Rudawska, Poland).
  3. Emergency Care in Rural Norway (Guttorm Brattebø, Norway)
  4. Bridging the Baltic: Insights into innovation and e-health trends in the Baltic Sea Region (Nils Hansson, Germany)

12.00 - 13.30 Lunch (Restaurants in Greifswald)

13.30 - 15.00 Paper Session 2: Church and Religion in Rural Areas
Responsible: Tobias Braune-Krickau

  1. Insights and perspectives on rural church and religion in Denmark” (Kirstine Helboe Johansen, Denmark)
  2. Local identity, history and traditions supporting churches in rural areas of Estonia (Riho Altnurme, Estonia)
  3. Structural changes of a church district (1999-2025). Peripheralization dynamics by decline in church membership and structural reduction (Benjamin Stahl, Germany)

15.00 - 15.30 Coffee Break

15.30 - 17.00 Paper Session 3: Policing, Victimization, Feelings of Safety and Extremism in Rural Areas
Responsible: Stefan Harrendorf

  1. Stability and Acceptance of the Democratic System in Rural Areas (Andreas Klärner, Germany)
  2. Rural Crime and Policing in Sweden (Vania Ceccato, Sweden)
  3. Farm Crime Victimization and Prevention Decision Making: Insights from England and Wales (Kreseda Smith, UK)
  4. Local safety and security in local communities in Slovenia- rural perspectives: An overview of research activities (Gorazd Meško, Slovenia)

17.30 – 19.00 Keynote Lecture
Responsible: Christine Tamásy
Peripheral Rural Regions in Europe (Michael Woods, UK)

From 19.00 Evening Reception (Alfried-Krupp-Kolleg)


Friday, 24 March 2023

08.30 - 10.00 Paper Session 4: Rural Policies, Modes of Governance, Social Movements, Contradictions and Conflicts
Responsible: Stefan Ewert

  1. Potential for bottom-up, grassroots activities for an energy transition in the Baltic Sea Region (Farid Karimi, Finland) 
  2. Wetland-based Rural Development in the Baltic Sea Region – Potentials and Current Political Barriers (Franziska Tanneberger, Germany)
  3. Mapping the Rural-Urban Divide in Europe: The Role of socio-political clusters for issue polarization and vote choice (Sigrid Roßteutscher, Germany)

10.00 - 10.30 Coffee Break

10.30 - 12.00 Paper Session 5: Representations of Rurality
Responsible: Christine Tamásy, Annika Schlitte

  1. Discursive Construction of Rural Areas: Policy Perspectives  (Clemens Lisdat, Germany)
  2. Forest bioeconomy discourses in Finnish peripheries (Maija Halonen, Finland)
  3. Loss, Arousal and Attunement. Ethnographic Perspectives on Kashubian Rurality (Oliwia Murawska, Austria)
  4. From Space to Life. How Nature Determines Culture (Giovanna Caruso, Germany)

12.00 - 12.30 Provision of lunch bags

12.30 - 17.30 Field Trips (e.g. health care, wetlands, guided city tour)

  1. Rural Health Care (Melissa Nawroth, Steffen Fleßa)
  2. Sustainable use of wetlands (Stefan Ewert)
  3. Rural Churches: Architecture, Community, Social Life (Tobias Braune-Krickau)
  4. Guided City Tour

18.30 - 20.00 Music & Arts Session
Responsible: Gesa zur Nieden

Doing art in rural areas. Perspectives from Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania

  • Henriette Sehmsdorf, OPERNALE; Holger Stark, Wolkenbank kunst+räume, Klein Warin
  • With songs by Luise Greger interpreted by Joana Rueffer (vocals) and Benjamin Saupe (piano)

From 20.00 Speakers/Facilitators Dinner (Restaurant in Greifswald)

 

Friday, 24 March 2023

08.30 - 10.00 Paper Session 4: Rural Policies, Modes of Governance, Social Movements, Contradictions and Conflicts
Responsible: Stefan Ewert

  1. Potential for bottom-up, grassroots activities for an energy transition in the Baltic Sea Region (Farid Karimi, Finland) 
  2. Wetland-based Rural Development in the Baltic Sea Region – Potentials and Current Political Barriers (Franziska Tanneberger, Germany)
  3. Mapping the Rural-Urban Divide in Europe: The Role of socio-political clusters for issue polarization and vote choice (Sigrid Roßteutscher, Germany)

10.00 - 10.30 Coffee Break

10.30 - 12.00 Paper Session 5: Representations of Rurality
Responsible: Christine Tamásy, Annika Schlitte

  1. Discursive Construction of Rural Areas: Policy Perspectives  (Clemens Lisdat, Germany)
  2. Forest bioeconomy discourses in Finnish peripheries (Maija Halonen, Finland)
  3. Loss, Arousal and Attunement. Ethnographic Perspectives on Kashubian Rurality (Oliwia Murawska, Austria)
  4. From Space to Life. How Nature Determines Culture (Giovanna Caruso, Germany)

12.00 - 12.30 Provision of lunch bags

12.30 - 17.30 Field Trips (e.g. health care, wetlands, guided city tour)

  1. Rural Health Care (Melissa Nawroth, Steffen Fleßa)
  2. Sustainable use of wetlands (Stefan Ewert)
  3. Rural Churches: Architecture, Community, Social Life (Tobias Braune-Krickau)
  4. Guided City Tour

18.30 - 20.00 Music & Arts Session
Responsible: Gesa zur Nieden

Doing art and/or culture in rural areas. Perspectives from Western Pomerania and France

  • Henriette Sehmsdorf, OPERNALE; Holger Stark, Wolkenbank kunst+räume, Klein Warin
  • With songs by Luise Greger interpreted by Joana Rueffer (vocals) and Benjamin Saupe (piano)

From 20.00 Speakers/Facilitators Dinner (Restaurant in Greifswald)

Saturday, 25 March 2023
9.00 am – 10.00 am Paper Session 6: Rural Economies, Demography and Migration
Chair: Daniel Schiller

  1. Spatio-temporal patterns of demographic change in the Baltic Sea Region
    Paula Prenzel, University of Greifswald
  2. Infrastructure Matters – Challenge or Possibility in Municipalities with Shrinking Populations?
    Ida Grundel, Linköping University
  3. Social security of rural areas - areas of exclusion in the perspective of social assistance activities on the example of Poland 
    Urszula Kaczmarek, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań

10.00 am – 10.30 am: Coffee Break

10.30 am – 12.00 pm Paper Session 7: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Agri-Food Systems
Chair: Oliver Klein

  1. Governance of city and suburbs in Poland. The role of regulatory power and coalitions capacity
    Tomasz Kaczmarek, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań
  2. Socio-spatial fixes and their role in EU Bioeconomy Development 
    Moritz Albrecht, University of Eastern Finland
  3. Collectives of ecosystem revitalization: Negotiating (dis)connectedness in agricultural stream restoration experiments 
  4. Helena Valve, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE

12.00 pm – 1.00 pm Panel Discussion & Closing Session
Chairs: Stefan Ewert, Alexander Drost
“Think Rural in the Baltic Sea Region: A multi-disciplinary perspective”
Panelists: Antje Kempe, Andris Banka, Yvonne Bindrim, Daniel Schiller  et al.

1.00 pm Farewell
Steffen Fleßa

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