"Homecomings" and Internal Migrations in the History and Present of Central and Southeastern Europe

June 11, 2026 at 09:00 to June 12, 2026 at 18:00
University of Primorska, University Library, Koper, Slovenia

The international conference "Homecomings" and Internal Migrations in the History and Present of Central and Southeastern Europe, which will take place on 11–12 June at the University Library of the University of Primorska. The event is part of the project project Migration and Development in Southeastern Europe since the 19th Century, led by Miha Zobec (Ljubljana) and Ulf Brunnbauer (Regensburg).

The conference will shed light on historical and contemporary migration processes, with a special focus on return migration, remittances, the transfer of knowledge and ideas, and the links between internal and international migration.

The conference builds on the observation that the regions of Central and Southeastern Europe have been marked not only by mass emigration but also by numerous forms of circular, multidirectional, and internal migration. The discussions will shed light on how migrants and returnees have influenced the economic, social, and cultural development of their societies through their experiences, investments, and knowledge.

The conference is co-organized by the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Primorska, the Institute for Slovenian Emigration and Migration at ZRC SAZU, the Science and Research Center Koper, and the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg. The event, co-funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARIS) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), marks the conclusion of the research project “Between the ‘Tenth Banovina’ and the ‘Seventh Republic’: States and Diasporas in the First and Second Yugoslavia (ARIS, J6-50191).