At the Interface
Academia and the Public. Reflections
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Russia’s war against Ukraine has catapulted Eastern European research into the public eye. Society and politics demand background information, categorisation, explanation. In itself, it is the hour of the experts. But the logic of the media and the laws of the attention economy produce irritating results: Ukraine surprisingly seldom and rarely comes up in public discourse. The media offer a stage for “experts” without expertise. TV talk shows stage debates at the end of which it is concluded: the situation is difficult. War or peace degenerates into a matter of opinion. Enlightenment through knowledge does not come this way. But for academics, intervening in public debates remains a civic duty. However, it is important to make oneself and the public aware of the possibilities and limits of one’s own expertise.
(Osteuropa 1-3/2025, pp. 125–130)