Research Exchange Program for PhD Candidates Austria - Sweden 2025

This initiative is further supported by the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity, and Society (REMESO) at Linköping University, Sweden, AKH Wien/Medical University of Vienna, Salam Oida, and Afro Rainbow Austria (ARA).

Program Board:

• Marina Gržinić
• Asma Aiad
• Henrie Dennis
• Adis Šerifović

Translation and Technical Support: Anahita Neghabat

This exchange program continues the first meeting and exchange that started in Sweden, Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity, and Society (REMESO) at Linköping University, Sweden in 2024.  It was supported by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Erasmus plus program, the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG), and REMESO.

It is designed to foster interdisciplinary academic collaboration and knowledge exchange in the fields of philosophy, theory, sociology, and migration studies. It aims to create a platform for PhD candidates to engage in transnational research dialogues, share expertise, and enhance their academic networks.

Monday, March 10, 2025
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Schillerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, SITZUNG SAAL

9:30 h: Welcome by Ingeborg Erhart (tbc), Angelina Kratschanova, and program presentation by Marina Gržinić
Dr. Ingeborg Erhart is Vice-Rector for Art and Teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. BA EMBA Mag. Angelina Kratschanova, since 2022 Head of the International Office at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Univ. Prof. Dr. Marina Gržinić is a full professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, head of the Studio for Art and Intervention/Concept (Post-Conceptual Art Practices)). She has led the art-based research project “Conviviality as Potentiality” (FWF AR679, 2021–25).

10 – 11:15 h Panel 1
(Moderation Henrie Dennis, PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna:  Gendered Language Discourse in Border Policies: Examining the Role of Whiteness and its Impact on Global Migration)

Ellen Rahm: Local Governance in Migration and Integration Policy in Sweden – Sites of Policy Innovation and Contestation?
Ellen Rahm is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity, and Society (REMESO) at Linköping University, Sweden. With an academic background in public sociology and political science, she has professional experience in public policy research at both supranational and local levels of governance.

Hossam Sultan: “Thinking about the Future, Stuck in the Past”: Imaginaries of the Future Home among the Palestinian Diaspora in Germany
Hossam Sultan is a PhD candidate at the Department of Culture and Society (IKOS), Linköping University, Sweden. Trained as a social anthropologist, he holds an MA from Uppsala University and a BA from the American University in Cairo. His research focuses on transnational migration, space and place, and temporalities, particularly in relation to how the Palestinian diaspora in Germany imagines and navigates concepts of home and the future.

Anahita Neghabat: Postmigrant Feminist Knowledge Production in Art and Activism in Austria and the DACH-Region
Anahita Neghabat is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. She is a social anthropologist and artist; she engages with critical education, meme culture, feminist ontologies, and the study of (anti-Muslim) racism. She examines how postmigrant feminist movements in Austria and the broader German-speaking (DACH) region create and circulate knowledge through artistic and activist practices.

Miguel González Cabezas: Multiplicities in Singularity: Ambivalence and Democracy in the Present Global Capitalist World
Miguel González Cabezas is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He is an artist and researcher whose work critically examines the intersections of the nation-state and neoliberal global capitalism. His research explores issues of life management, racism, migration, and social movements, focusing on the ambivalences that shape contemporary democratic structures within capitalist frameworks.

Kenna Sim-Sarka (from Canada via Zoom): Contested Climate Futures: Indigenous Perspectives on Climate Responses in Sápmi and Secwépmc
Kenna Sim-Sarka is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity, and Society (REMESO) at Linköping University, Sweden. Her research focuses on Indigenous perspectives on climate change and environmental governance, particularly examining responses to climate crises in Sápmi and Secwépmc.

PAUSE

11:30 – 13 h: Panel 2
(Moderation Asma Aiad,  PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna; Aesthetics of Participation: The Representation of Muslims in Austria through Art and Culture in the Context of Social Justice and Inclusion)

Cathérine Franziska Lehnerer: Philosophical questions on participation in educational processes through comic production
Cathérine Franziska Lehnerer is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.  Lehnerer is a Vienna-based teacher and artist who develops a workshop concept together with young people based on school practice in the sense of a critical-radical theory of education.

Mansi Kashatria: Radical Nuisance? Contemporary Art Practices and Re-Imagined Globality
Mansi Kashatria, a postgraduate scholar in Ethnic and Migration Studies from Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity, and Society (REMESO) at Linköping University, Sweden. She grew up and finished most of her education under the “colonial hangover” of socio-cultural interactions in India, describing therefore her relationship with contemporaneity and global art as having been rather disjointed and therefore critical.

Elisa R. Linn (Elisa Linn Roguszczak): Self-Organization from Below to Strike the Border: The “Berlin Wall as a Condom” against the “Other” during the AIDS Pandemic in the GDR
Elisa R. Linn (Elisa Linn Roguszczak) is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, writer, exhibition maker, and educator, currently teaching at Bard College Berlin.

Aruanã Rosa: Contemporary Challenges of Combating Racism – Perspectives for Global Anti-Racism
Aruanã Rosa, PhD candidate (University of Aveiro, Portugal) with European Consortium of Innovative Universities and Foundation for Science and Technology Portugal (ECIU-FCT) Fellowship. Member of Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies (CIPES-UA). Member of Migration and Human Rights Curatorship (UFPE-Brazil). Visiting PhD at REMESO-Linköping University.

Alexandra Tatar (from Finland via Zoom): The Teleported Subject in Post-Socialist Romania Rethinking the Possibility of Eastern European Subjects at the Intersection of (Global) Media and Regional History: The Example of Handmade Satellite Dishes
Alexandra Tatar is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. She is a researcher and visual artist who has been living and working in Vienna since 2011, focusing on grassroots movements in technology during socialism.

LUNCH BREAK. INDIVIDUAL ARRANGEMENTS

14 – 15 h Panel 3 (Moderation Marina Gržinić)

Nicolina Öberg: Housing policy, migrant settlement, and the restrictive migration regime
Nicolina Öberg is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity, and Society (REMESO) at Linköping University, Sweden.

Neda Hosseinyar: The Aesthetics of the Feminist Movements in Iran since 1979: Feminist Strategies for Social Justice –Navigating between the Lines of Theocracy and Patriarchy
Neda Hosseinyar is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Hosseinyar is an Iranian-Austrian multidisciplinary artist, art mediator, and cultural worker. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in painting and an M.A. from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. From 2020 to 2023, Hosseinyar was the co-president of the Association of Women* Visual Artists of Austria (VBKÖ).

Amin Mohseni: Forced Migration from Afghanistan: A Socio-Legal Analysis of the Status of Migrants in Iran (with a Focus on Hazara Refugees)
Amin Mohseni holds an MA in private law and was teaching law courses at Afghanistan universities before the takeover of the Taliban. His major research interests include the rule of law, academic freedom, human rights, minority rights, migration, and asylum policies. He embarked on a role as a visiting researcher at Linköping University’s Department of Culture and Society, REMESO, under the Scholars at Risk (SAR) support program and has recently started his new affiliation with the department as a PhD candidate, researching the status of forced Afghan migrants in the neighboring countries and the immigration policies.

Melike Isleyen: Imagining Imperfect Heavens
Melike Isleyen is a PhD candidate at Oslo Metropolitan University, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Oslo, Norway, with research interests in forced migration, settler colonial violence, visual cultures, decolonial feminist lens, border thinking, and decolonial future making.

CONCLUSION FIRST PART PHD PRESENTATION.

16 – 18 h: City tour
led by Asma Aiad, focusing on Vienna’s imperial and multicultural landmarks. Asma Aiad takes the group on a tour of the City Center, Aiad suggests a few spots like Marcus Omofuma Sculpture, Islamic Heritage in the city center with Ottomans, maybe a few other general sight-seeing, the main building of the academy, etc. to give insight into different districts in Vienna like 16^th or 10^th with migrants and workers.
Start in front of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Schilerplatz.

19 h Dinner:
at Bab Al-Yemen, Vienna’s first Yemeni restaurant, located at Troststraße 60-62, 1100 Vienna. They are open daily from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM. DINNER, invitation by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG), organized by Adis Šerifović and Asma Aiad.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

10 – 13 h:  Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Nußdorfer Straße 68/5, 1090 Vienna
The Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) is an Austrian research institution that promotes innovative and interdisciplinary research approaches, particularly in the fields of health sciences. It is named after the physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844–1906).
Program proposed and organized by Adis Šerifović, PhD candidate at the Medical University of Vienna and Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Supervisor: Igor Grabovac
Topic: Empowerment through Participation: Enhancing Health Literacy and Advocating for Inclusive Health Policies with Muslims in Austria

PROGRAM: LECTURES

Welcome from host organization:
Dr. Georg Russegger, Head of Open Innovation in Science Center (Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft)
Goal at the LBG OIS Center is to open up spaces for experimental as well as inter- and transdisciplinary work in research and innovation fields. The involvement of civil society actors and the development and expansion of communities around the research contexts of the LBG OIS Center play an important role. Together with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes, it is important to design exchange and transfer services and to apply them in the European Research Area.

Mag. Patricia Mussi-Mailer MA, Head of Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Fundamental and Human Rights: Talk about the human rights projects of the institute
The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR) is the largest extramural research institute in its field in Austria. It advances human rights research, fosters a human rights-based approach, and contributes to improving the human rights realities of individuals in Austria and abroad. Its interdisciplinary outlook and commitment to applied research and the third mission set it apart. The institute conducts basic and applied research which is current, international, inter-disciplinary, and translational. It intends to ensure the positive societal impact of its research; at the same time, its staff are committed to the highest standards of academic excellence.

Professor Claudia Tazreiter, LiU (Linköping University) Sweden: Ghosts of the unjustly dead. Racial capitalism’s afterlife.
Claudia Tazreiter is a professor at the Institute for research on migration, ethnicity and society (REMESO), Linköping University, Sweden. Her research focuses on the social and affective impacts of forced and irregular migration on human rights culture, the role of civil society in social change, and visual cultures of dissent. Claudia is Sweden’s representative on the European Advocacy Committee of the global network, Scholars at Risk, and is on the advisory board for the Academy in Exile.

LUNCH AT LUDWIG BOLTZMANN GESELLSCHAFT (LUDWIG BOLTZMANN SOCIETY).

13 – 15 h:AKH Wien/Medical University of Vienna
Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna

LECTURES

Mag. Steph Grohmann, MSc PhD (Head of the Ethics Committee of Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft): Research ethics as anti-fascist praxis
Steph Grohmann provides advice and consultation on research ethics at all stages of the research project life cycle, from “ethics by design” to the documentation required for impactful international publication. Her work at LBG focuses on ensuring that research participants and co-creators in participatory research are treated fairly, equitably, and with minimal risk of harm. Grohmann’s background is in medical anthropology and the anthropology of ethics.

Assoc. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Dr. scient. med. Igor Grabovac (Professor at the Medical University of Vienna): Is Public Health failing? Role of social theory in promoting transdisciplinarity and participatory research
Igor Grabovac is an Associate Professor and Specialist Physician in Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna. He leads the Community Health Lab, focusing on enhancing health equity and reducing care disparities, particularly in cancer prevention and care. Dr. Grabovac coordinates the Public Health curriculum for undergraduate medical students and is the principal investigator of projects like "CANCERLESS," addressing cancer prevention among homeless populations in Europe.

There will also be a guided tour of the General Hospital of the City of Vienna, the largest hospital in Vienna, led by Prof. Grabovac.

15 – 18 h: FREE AFTERNOON

18:30 – 23 h: Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Lehárgasse 8, 1060 Vienna, 1 floor, Studio Art and Intervention/Concept (Post-conceptual Art Practices)

COMMUNAL FOOD, TALKS, PERFORMANCE, PRESENTATION, concluding with DJ BAWO

Food prepared by Afro Rainbow Austria (ARA) is offered to all joining us! Social food as artistic intervention supported by Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG).

At 18:30 the food bar opens
At 18:45 the program begins with four events, concluding with DJ BAWO

Moderators: Marina Gržinić and Anahita Neghabat

• Marissa Lôbo and Roma Rio (from Brazil via ZOOM)
  Marissa Lôbo is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Title PhD: Curating with Care: Politics of Affection, Nourishment, and Affinity.
  Marissa Lôbo presents her PhD research through a conversation with Roma Rio (Brazil) on reimagining and expanding curatorial practices through the lens of affection. Roma Rio resides in the territory surrounding the Tucunduba River in Belém-PA. Their work and research intertwine intimacy and collectivity, exploring family relationships, love, and friendship to weave together the sociocultural history of the region in which they operate. Marissa Lôbo is artist, curator, and cultural producer. She was part of maiz, a self-organized collective of/for migrants, and co-founded Kültüř Gemma!. Lôbo has also co-curated projects such as Night School at the Wiener Festwochen.

• Nataša Mackuljak
  Nataša Mackuljak is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Title PhD: On Historical Continuities between Anti-Fascist Women’s Action and Feminist Performance Art in the Former Yugoslavia.
  Nataša Mackuljak presents her PhD research through a lecture performance titled Antifascist Spirit, based on the article Antifascist Spirits: Mention and Remember. Nataša Mackuljak is performer, multimedia artist, social worker, curator, and cultural producer. She studied Sciences and Technology of Multimedia at the University of Social Sciences in Udine and worked in Italy as a radio and TV editor for weekly programs on Rai 3 (2005–2008). From 2016 to 2018, she co-curated and co-managed the Transcultural Festival for Art and Activism – Wienwoche, where she currently serves as executive director.

• Henrie Dennis
  presents Afro Rainbow Austria (ARA), the first organization in Austria founded by and for queer Africans. The organization is dedicated to advocating for and empowering LGBTQ+ individuals of African descent while fostering intersectional dialogue, community solidarity, and social justice. Mag.art. Henrie Dennis is Nigerian born human rights activist, art curator, and cultural mediator who continuously works on improving the lives of LGBTQ people of African descent. She is also the Founder Afro Rainbow Austria.  Dennis wears multiple hats, contributing as a social worker at the street newspaper, Augustin while pursuing a PhD in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her works centre on themes of queerness, migration, redistribution of resources, gender, anti-racism, and decolonization.

• Asma Aiad
  presents Salam Oida, a collective dedicated to promoting diversity in art and culture, particularly by supporting Muslims and persons of color in Austria. Founded by Asma Aiad and Ines Mahmoud, one of their key initiatives is the annual Muslim*Contemporary festival, which employs art as a form of resistance against systemic oppression and creates spaces for exchange and community building. Asma Aiad, BA MA is an artist, curator, and activist. Aiad is also co-founder of Salam Oida, an initiative that celebrates diversity in art and culture and is the initiator of the multidisciplinary festival Muslim*Contemporary. She explores Muslim identities in Austria and Europe as well as Muslim aesthetics in art and culture.

Music:  DJ BAWO

Wednesday, 12.03. 2025

9 h – Visit the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW)
Center documenting the Austrian Resistance & victims of persecution, plus Nazi crimes & extremism.
Altes Rathaus, Wipplingerstraße 6 - 8, A-1010 Wien

10:15 h – Metro to Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU)

11 – 14hSigmund Freud Private University (SFU) in Vienna
Interdisciplinary Research Center Islam and Muslims in Europe (IFIME)
Campus Prater, Freudplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, Room: E603

IFIME is dedicated to conducting differentiated and reflective research on the lived realities of Muslims in Austria and Europe. Its focus includes their social, economic, political, and educational participation, their engagement across various professional, academic, and personal spheres, as well as their self-perceptions and representations by others.

The workshop at SFU is organized by Asma Aiad, with the participation of Professor Claudia Tazreiter, LiU (Linköping University) Sweden will lead a discussion on the development of research careers in today’s world and what it is to be a researcher/advocate/activist in the EU impregnated with racism.

Haqqi Bahram, LiU (Linköping University) Sweden: Statelessness as a Legacy and the Potential of Transitional Justice
This talk explores my research on statelessness, focusing on the case of the Kurds in Syria. Statelessness is often overlooked in international transitional justice mechanisms, yet it is deeply tied to systemic injustices and human rights violations worldwide. In Syria’s current transitional phase, statelessness has become an urgent issue demanding justice amid political shifts, governance changes, and growing calls for democracy and accountability. Examining the experiences of both displaced Kurds and those who remain in Syria, this talk highlights statelessness as a persisting legacy affecting thousands of lives. I argue that it should be recognized as a critical element within Syria’s evolving transitional justice framework.
Haqqi Bahram earned his PhD in Ethnic and Migration Studies in January 2025 at Linköping University, Sweden. His research focuses on statelessness, forced migration, and identity formation. His interests extend to the global governance of statelessness, politics of knowledge, refugee activism, and self-representation in international policy. He teaches courses on citizenship, borders, and conflict and has previously worked as a senior officer in humanitarian and development programs in Syria.

Mezze provided.

14 h – Conclusion by Asma Aiad, Adis Šerifović, Claudia Tazreiter, and Marina Gržinić