February 29, 2008

Seminar to feature discussion of events in Kosovo

Charles Ingrao, professor of history and expert on Central Europe, will present "U.S. Recognition of Kosovo: Causes & Consequences" at 7 p.m. in Room 314, Stewart Center.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Office of International Programs and the Department of History, and is the inaugural talk of a new seminar series designed to bring current events to the Purdue campus community.

"Kosovo is a part of the world that we have not heard much about these last few years, yet the tensions there reflect many conflicts we see around the world," says Andrew Gillespie, associate dean of international programs. "And these conflicts impact our campus as we work with the universities and governments of these regions. As Purdue is an international university, it is not uncommon that our students and faculty come from these regions, and this seminar series is a vehicle to bring awareness to our campus.

"Professor Ingrao, an internationally known expert, will explain to us Kosovo's history as well as the role of U.S. policy in this region, the ethnic conflict in the Balkans and the renewed conflict with Russia and Serbia."

Ingrao has worked with the U.S. State Department and many leaders in the Balkans to promote peace between ethnic groups. Ingrao is leading more than 300 scholars on a collaborative effort to reconcile the peoples of the former Yugoslavia by setting straight the historical record of what actually did -- and did not -- happen during the wars that followed the country's breakup. The group, called the Scholars' Initiative, includes representatives from more than 28 countries and five continents.