Rijeka in Flux is led by Brigitte LeNormand (UBCO). The project focuses on the consequences of border changes on the city of Rijeka (Fiume) after the Second World War, and aims to shed light on the impact of border changes in 20th century Europe, where such changes have been frequent, highly contentious, and consequential for inhabitants. Until now, border changes after the Second World War have largely been treated as a dramatic rupture characterized by ethnic cleansing. By focusing on a case where rupture was far less complete, adopting a theoretical approach that focuses on the consequences of borders changes for flows of different types, and innovating a new methodology, this project proposes to advance our understanding the impact of border changes and develop new tools for evaluating that impact.

Working closely with the Mapping and History teams, the project’s Digital Humanities team works is developing methods for foregrounding the relationships between events, people, time, and places in Rejika following the Second World War, to find new historical patterns at scale.