Tuesday 16 February 2010
Romanian guests welcomed at special University event
The main square in Timisoara
Dignitaries and academics from Nottingham's Romanian twin city, Timisoara, will speak about the country's history and heritage at a special event to be held at Nottingham Trent University on 15 February 2010.
'20 Years On: Political, Social and Cultural Change in Timisoara since the Romanian Revolution' will be jointly hosted by the University's School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, the School of Arts and Humanities and Nottingham City Council.
Introducing the event and its theme will be the Mayor of Timisoara, Gheorghe Ciuhandu, and Dr. James Koranyi from University of St. Andrews. Dr Simona Adams and Professor Viktor Neumann from West University of Timisoara will speak about 'Memory, Identity and Cultural Diversity in the City of Timisoara' and 'Timisoara - The Romanian Revolution of 1989 and Its Consequences' respectively. Aurelia Junie, Timisoara's director for development, will then talk about 'Architectural Developments in Timisoara since 1989'.
The UK Ambassador to Romania, HMA Robin Barnett, will conclude the evening.
One of the main aims of the city partnership is to support Timisoara in turning their regeneration strategy into real, achievable projects, while at the same time assisting Nottingham and East Midlands' businesses in bidding for contracts on some of the large-scale regeneration and development projects planned in Timisoara.
As part of this, Nottingham Trent University and West University of Timisoara will also be setting up a joint research programme, focussing primarily on cultural and architectural trends in Timisoara related to migration and resulting in the development of an action plan for collaboration in the field of regeneration.
The event will take place from 5.30 to 7.00pm in the Newton Building, Nottingham Trent University, for further information email Gill Short or call Elly Fletcher on +44 (0)115 915 5093
Notes to editors:
Press enquiries please contact Helen Fitzpatrick, Press Officer, on Telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email, or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on Telephone +44 (0)115 848 8774, or via email.
The event will also include a welcome from Nottingham Trent University Pro-Vice Chancellor, Ann Priest, Professor Bill Niven, professor of contemporary German history at the School of Arts and Humanities, and Alina Hughes, senior lecturer at the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment.
Further speaker information
James Koranyi teaches history at the University of St. Andrews. His PhD – which he received from the University of Exeter in 2008 – focused on the post-war identities of the Romanian Germans.
Simona Adam is a Romanian sociologist who has been working for many years on an oral history project exploring interculturality in the area of the Banat, Romania. She teaches at West University, Timisoara.
Victor Neumann is a Romanian historian, political analyst, and professor at the West University in Timisoara. He is a well known specialist in the recent cultural and intellectual histories of Eastern and Central Europe (focusing his research on interculturalism and multiculturalism).
Robin Barnett has been British ambassador in Bucharest since June 2006. His previous experience includes two postings in Poland, initially during the communist era in the early 1980's and later as Deputy Head of Mission from 1998 to 2001.
