The Institute of National Remembrance is the current presiding body of the European Network of Official Authorities in Charge of the Secret-Police Files. For this occasion we invite you to participate in an international research conference entitled Archives and Remembrance: Contemporary Uses of the Former Communist Security Service’s Archival Heritage.

More than thirty years have passed since the collapse of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. During this time, in the countries formerly behind the Iron Curtain, state agencies have been established that are responsible for the archival legacy of the former secret police agencies and other repressive organs of those dictatorships. In accordance with the mission of the Network, they are to ensure the general public’s access to these documents. Additionally, they conduct research and educational activities, as well as many other initiatives, perhaps less obvious but equally important.

The aim of the conference is to present the various fields of activity in key areas of these institutions’ ongoing activities, and simultaneously, an exchange of experiences. During the sessions, we plan to address such issues as:

– the fate of the archival holdings of the secret police agencies after the collapse of the communist system;

– the state of preservation of the repositories of individual archives and the problems associated with their declassification;

– ways of making archival materials available and the prospects for online accessibility;

– the use of archival materials in making legal and institutional actions to reconcile the past;

– the commemoration of victims and reparations to the repressed;

– perspectives for the use of the former services’ archival materials for research and educational purposes.

Deadline for paper proposals: 14 March 2025

Submissions should include an abstract of 500–700 words and a biographical note of up to 250 words listing significant professional accomplishments (both documents are to be in English). Speakers selected will be notified by the Conference Program Committee by 30 April 2025.

A conference fee is not anticipated and the organizers will provide presenters with free accommodation and meals on conference days as well as reimbursement of travel expenses upon application (to a limit of 200 euros for European flights and 800 euros for flights outside Europe).

Conference date: 10–11 June 2025

Conference location: Centralny Przystanek Historia im. Prezydenta Lecha Kaczyńskiego, 107 Marszałkowska St., 00-110 Warsaw, Poland

Conference languages: English and Polish

Submissions and additional questions should be sent to: magdalena.dzwigal@ipn.gov.pl