Three female researchers reveal how they ended up in humanities and why we need these disciplines today.
This episode of Forschungsquartett features a live recording from the Long Night of Sciences 2025 at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe in Leipzig. Host Carolin Breitschädel interviews three female researchers: Maren Röger (historian and institute director), Dorothee Riese (literary scholar and writer), and Lenka Panuskova (art historian). The discussion begins with personal anecdotes about favorite Eastern European cities, including Warsaw, Bucharest, and Prague. Each guest then explains their path into humanities, revealing diverse motivations from childhood storytelling fascination to accidental discoveries during studies. Maren Röger describes how an Erasmus semester in Wroclaw, Poland, fundamentally changed her understanding of European history and sparked her specialization in Eastern Europe. Dorothee Riese shares her journey from Romanian upbringing to studying in Germany, where Eastern European topics persistently reemerged despite her initial focus on Western Europe. Lenka Panuskova discusses her specialization in medieval book illumination and how institutional demands shifted her research focus. The conversation addresses societal perceptions of humanities, with guests noting constant questions about career utility compared to natural sciences. They explore how the Ukraine war has increased public attention on Eastern European research while emphasizing the need for sustained knowledge beyond crisis moments. Each researcher describes current projects: Röger on European history of partnership violence, Riese on Roma emancipation in post-1989 Romania, and Panuskova on Romanesque art. The episode examines the interdisciplinary environment at GWZO, highlighting both the benefits of diverse expertise and challenges of communication across disciplines. Guests discuss practical aspects like funding precarious positions for Eastern European colleagues and creating safe research spaces. In closing, they offer perspectives on humanities' value: Röger argues society would lose self-understanding without them, Riese emphasizes knowledge enjoyment, and Panuskova notes the inspiration from diverse perspectives. The host concludes with acknowledgments to the technical team and institute.
