Corridors for Dialogue through Cooperation

Program Director: Sebastian Relitz

Corridors is an initiative founded 2016 at the Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) Regensburg that aims to foster "Dialogue through Cooperation" between societies affected by protracted conflicts in the post-Soviet space. We develop and implement projects that enhance knowledge transfer and create new opportunities for direct people-to-people contact over the divide. In a cross-regional framework we intent to facilitate cooperation between academic and civil society stakeholders to revitalize dialogue between communities. Corridors aims to enhance knowledge and understanding about the context and dynamics around protracted conflicts in the regions and on international level.

Activities:

Corridors Pilot Project

For the Corridors pilot project, the objective was to build a new Corridor for Dialogue beyond Conflict Lines to foster direct people-to-people contact, enhance mutual understanding, discuss obstacles for dialogue and develop new ideas for further cooperation in a cross-regional format. To this end, we organized two preparatory workshops with domestic and international experts in Tbilisi and Kiev and a five-day workshop in Germany, bringing together 14 actors from the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, Russia and Ukraine.

New Fellowship Program in 2017

The Corridors Fellowship offers scholars from conflict affected societies the possibility for a research stay abroad in Germany. The project aims to reduce isolation through academic cooperation and to enhance dialogue and knowledge transfer between researchers. In 2017, we offer two fully funded fellowships with a duration of one month each.

First Corridors Young Researchers Workshop

In September 3–9 2017, the Corridors for Dialogue and Cooperation initiative organised the first "Corridors Young Researchers Workshop" on "Obstacles and Opportunities for Dialogue and Cooperation in Protracted Conflicts", bringing together young scholars from Georgia/Abkhazia, Moldova/Transnistria, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Germany. The workshop was open for up to 18 graduates, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers from the field of peace and conflict studies, international relations, sociology, and neighbouring disciplines. Participants had the opportunity to present and discuss their research with their peers and receive feedback from senior international scholars.

Funded by: DAAD