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04/22/2026 09:51

New online atlas shows conflicts in Eastern Europe from multiple perspectives

Dr. Peter Wittmann Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde

    This new online atlas visualises conflicts and cooperation in Eastern Europe and demonstrates how such (geo)visualisations are created. The platform “Visualising Conflict/Peace”, developed by the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) within the research network Conflict and Cooperation in Eastern Europe (KonKoop), is now available online.

    The atlas brings together case studies from Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. It presents conflicts and peace processes at various scales, ranging from local neighbourhoods to cross-border contexts.

    Notably, atlas readers can trace how the maps were created and which data, decisions and perspectives were incorporated into the visualisation process.

    “We want to not only show that maps are not neutral representations of conflicts but also to explore how they can entail critical reflection and multiperspectivity. Every visualisation is an interpretation of and shaped by political and social reality, which we also want to highlight with the ‘living’ and incomplete character of the atlas,” says IfL researcher Dr Mela Žuljević, a key contributor to the development of the atlas.

    By doing so, the project challenges the widespread assumption that maps are objective representations of facts about conflicts. Instead, it demonstrates how visualisations are constructed and that they also influence social and political processes.

    The project was created in collaboration with international researchers from the fields of geography, political science, history and anthropology.

    The atlas is freely accessible at https://visualisingconflictpeace.de

    For more information on the KonKoop Research Network, visit https://konkoop.de/


    Contact for scientific information:

    Dr. Mela Žuljević
    T. +49 341 600 55-145
    m_zuljevic@leibniz-ifl.de


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    Criteria of this press release:
    Journalists
    Geosciences
    transregional, national
    Research projects, Transfer of Science or Research
    English


     

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