The feminine terms in the Ukrainian language: Olena Synchak searches for historical and political clues in MSCA4Ukraine project

Ukraine’s turbulent history, with its recurring Russian interventions, is also reflected in its language. Ukrainian linguist Olena Synchak is investigating how this is expressed in the use of feminine terms. She is supported by means of a highly competitive MSCA4Ukraine Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded by the European Commission. In our interview, she talks about the changes in her language – and how these are also reflected in touching stories told by Ukrainian women.

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A change of perspective alters not only our perception of others, but also our perception of ourselves

How do we perceive each other when we regard each other as strangers? This is one of the central themes identified by Cornelia Muschet in her literary analysis of Takua Ben Mohamed’s graphic novels. In her thesis, the doctoral candidate in Italian Studies came to a conciliatory conclusion: Ben Mohamed’s characters often accept prejudices about those from other cultures as fact, even though they do not exist. The author often sees herself as a stranger; she is perceived as different. Her work addresses topics such as questions of identity in clothing, the impact of images of others, stereotypes and prejudices in intercultural communication, and the concept of ‘othering’. In October 2024, Cornelia Muschet completed her doctoral thesis with an oral defence at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

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Focus on the in-between: Conference on “Shifting the Lens. Perspectives on Literature, Media, and Culture” for Phd Students at the University of Klagenfurt

Under the title Shifting the Lens. Perspecitves on Literature, Media, and Culture, doctoral students at the University of Klagenfurt are inviting to an international conference on in-between spaces, translation processes and intermedial perspectives from 14 to 16 May.

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Installing apps and navigating the internet safely: project aims to facilitate access to the digital world for people with learning difficulties

Wheelchair users find stairs and steps difficult to navigate, preventing them from access to all areas. Similarly, people with impaired vision find life more difficult when there are no tactile floor markings. Kathrin Arndt is a student member of the EU Erasmus+ Project INDICO, which aims to make it easier for people with learning difficulties to access the digital world. In response to the question of what the metaphorical stairs and missing floor markings represent for people with learning difficulties, we learn: “For our target group, the language we use online is a barrier. If we want to enable people with learning difficulties to participate in the digital space on an equal footing, we need what is known as simple language.”

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