This study investigates specific events and phenomena associated with the “Yellow Peril” in the Russian-Soviet context, focusing on the Pacific city of Vladivostok. While geographically localized, the analysis spans broader cultural dimensions. This approach offers novel historiographical insights in several ways: the pogrom-like attacks on Chinese residents during the late Tsarist Empire and their mass deportation under Stalin render this community in the Soviet Far East a unique case within both the global diaspora of overseas Chinese and the history of national minorities in the Soviet Union. Additionally, the project examines how social elites in the Russian-Soviet context constructed “race” as a category of practical politics, facilitating and legitimizing acts of extreme violence.

Book project: Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky

Following the deaths of Stalin and Mao, their successors initiated a series of liberal reforms. These periods, known as the “Thaw” (ottepel’) in the Soviet Union and "Reform and Opening" (gaige kaifang) in China, aimed to distance the regimes from the totalitarian policies of their predecessors. During these transformative eras, the voices of university students became increasingly prominent as they reflected on the past and actively engaged in political discourse.
This dissertation project aims to provide a fresh perspective on previous research by adopting an alternative approach to analyzing and comparing the intricate interplay between transitional regimes and the student intelligentsia within their respective jurisdictions. The primary objective is to dissect the complex dynamics characterizing the relationship between post-totalitarian regimes and student intelligentsia, revealing patterns that shaped these interactions.
A key focus of this study is to identify the discrepancies between the aspirations of the younger generation and the responses of ruling authorities, even within authoritarian regimes that shared strikingly similar conditions. This analysis highlights the profound divergences between Soviet and Chinese societies at comparable stages of development.
The study addresses several pivotal questions: Did the communication and interaction between the student intelligentsia and the new regimes replicate the repressive and hostile dynamics of the past, as suggested by much of the existing research? Were there indications of cooperation between the two factions within these early post-totalitarian societies? If so, at what level did this cooperation occur—within the party leadership or at the grassroots—and what were its driving factors? To what extent did the regimes and their respective student groups learn from, refer to, or incorporate lessons from their foreign counterparts? 
By exploring these questions, the dissertation seeks to offer nuanced insights into the complex and often contradictory relationships between political reform and student activism in the Soviet Union and China during these pivotal periods.

Dissertation project: Qi Zhang
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky

The project examines the Polish diaspora in Harbin in the early 20th century and the memory of this “Chinese chapter” of Polish emigration. The Manchurian city of Harbin, founded in 1898, was a center of Russian imperialism in China. The Polish community had a significant influence on its economic and cultural life. The project sheds light on the complex role of the Poles in this period and closes a research gap in the imperial history of Manchuria.

Dissertation project: Mariusz Borysiewicz
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky
Funded by: German-Polish Science Foundation

The project investigates the socio-historical dimensions of religiously motivated social freedom practices among sect followers in the nineteenth-century Russian Empire, providing a nuanced analysis of the concept of freedom within this historical context.

Habilitation project: Dr. Agnieszka Zaganczyk-Neufeld

The doctoral project investigates the ideological frameworks and activities of the Russian exile organization Narodno-Trudovoj Sojuz rossijskich solidaristov (NTS), known in the history of resistance to Soviet communist rule as the People's Labour Union of Russian Solidarists.
The study focuses on the extensive networks the NTS established and sustained between 1945 and 1991. Particular attention is given to the organization’s collaboration with key actors in the East-West conflict, both at state and private levels. The research aims to elucidate how the NTS interacted with other anti-communist forces abroad and the extent to which these groups influenced each other.
A defining feature of the NTS, distinguishing it from other Russian exile organizations, was its steadfast belief that the overthrow of Soviet power required direct engagement with the Soviet population. This project examines the various strategies the NTS employed to maintain these connections, including the development of diverse forms of propaganda, the intensification of clandestine activities, and the expansion of operations in Western countries.
Adopting a multi-perspective approach, the dissertation seeks to reinterpret the history of the NTS and its alliances, contributing to the broader field of research on transnational anti-communism.

Dissertation project: Irina Parkhomenko
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Stefan Plaggenborg and Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky

The first three decades of the Republic of Turkey witnessed significant political, social, and economic transformations. Following the end of the 27-year-long single-party regime, the Democratic Party (DP) assumed power, ushering in an era characterized by "democratization" and "economic development." This period, marked by ambitious visions of growth and prosperity, was also defined by political instability, internal conflicts, and profound social and economic changes. These shifts gave rise to new discussions about poverty as the darker side of development.
Poverty emerged as a complex and multidimensional social issue, entering public and political discourse more prominently. Migration, interregional social and economic disparities, urban overpopulation, and distorted urbanization transitioned from being temporary challenges to persistent problems. Moreover, the political and social conflicts of the 1970s—rooted in ideological and religious divides such as "left vs. right," "conservative vs. liberal," "Turkish vs. Kurdish," and "Sunni vs. Alevi"—were symptomatic of deeper social unrest.
Poverty exacerbated discrimination, inequality, social isolation, and a lack of mobility, leaving the poor excluded from opportunities to shape their futures or fully integrate into an evolving, modernizing society. This study examines the dynamics that shaped poverty in Turkey during this transformative period, exploring its underlying causes, diverse manifestations, and broader societal implications.

Dissertation project: Büşra Hanusrichter
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Stefan Plaggenborg