East European Scientists Gain More and More Recognition Over the Years

14:29, July 30, 2020

Prof. Elena Trubina took part in authors' global visibility study

Scientists from the Ural Federal University and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) studied aspects of the global visibility of authors from post-socialist countries specializing in urban and geographical research. An article with the research results was published in a thematic issue of the journal Eurasian Geography and Economics prepared by a team of authors.

“We are considering two interrelated processes: the emergence of a group of countries of the former Eastern Bloc and the internationalization of knowledge production,” comments Elena Trubina, director of the Center for Global Urbanism at UrFU. - The post-socialist global East is both a subject of research and a region in which many scientists live. We investigated how it participates in the global circulation of knowledge and in the distribution of recognition. "

The authors analyzed 22 leading geographical journals over 30 years and found that the number of published authors in the study region has increased sevenfold since the 1990s. This is the highest growth rate of any region in the world. The main contribution to this growth was made by the countries - new members of the EU.

“We are discussing the legacy of the Cold War in the 'geopolitics of knowledge' and the reasons why there is growth, but the weight of post-socialist scientists is insufficient. Therefore, we stand up for a “collective epistemological project”, the task of which is to redefine the principles on which the internationalization of knowledge is carried out and on which centers of its production it is stubbornly oriented, ”notes Elena Trubina.

About the Center of Global Urbanism

The Center for Global Urbanism is an interdisciplinary research team. Created in 2017 at the Ural Humanitarian Institute of UrFU. Founded and jointly managed by Professors Martin Müller (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) and Elena Trubina. The work of the center was supported by the Ural Federal University Competitiveness Enhancement Program.