Tamara Djermanovic (Belgrade, 1965) is a professor in the Department of Humanities and the coordinator of the Slavic Studies Seminar at the UPF Institute of Culture. In the 2015-2016 academic year, she coordinated the UPF Dialogues in the Humanities series and the 'Sapere aude’ exhibition within the context of the commemorative events for UPF’s 25th anniversary.

- How would you assess the Dialogues in the Humanities series?

It was a success. Each of the dialogues drew between 150 and 370 people. The aim was to offer students from all fields access to humanistic content through a dialogue between a humanities professor and an expert from another discipline, always on a current social issue. However, we also opened the doors to the entire university community and to society at large. I am very pleased with the atmosphere of positive energy created and with the diverse public we attracted. A lot of people have thanked me for this initiative, and we hope to continue it this academic year, with the same format.

- Should we be showcasing culture more?

Sometimes, in the humanities, we complain that we are underappreciated; we have to show that we have things to share, too. It seems like we are less secure; we feel like we are dealing with more ephemeral things than other disciplines. But literature and philosophy, for example, also matter. The humanities are the most universal field, the one we all need most. Sometimes, professors from the university travel the world giving talks, yet we don’t have the opportunity to hear them speak here at home. We wanted to get rid of that contradiction.

- What made you choose the Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica Metro stop as the venue for the ‘Sapere aude’ exhibition?

‘Sapere aude’ (Dare to think for yourself) is a selection of quotes by major thinkers from all eras on the importance of education and knowledge. We wanted them to reach as many citizens of Barcelona and tourists as possible, and where better to do that than in the underground? People need to know that, in addition to the zoo and the beach, this neighbourhood is home to UPF, and we offered them a taste of what we teach in the classrooms. It is another way of sharing the university with society, in a multicultural and multilingual setting.

- What do UPF students gain by studying Slavic culture?

In the subjects I teach in the Faculty of Humanities, I talk about classic 20th-century Russian literature and traditional Russian aesthetics, beginning with icons and ending with film. I try to provide my students with keys to understanding current Russian culture and reality. Take Tarkovsky, for example, a filmmaker whose work verges on poetry, with an astounding perfection of the image. He made films of incredible beauty, and students thank me for introducing them to him, because watching one of his films allows them to experience a sort of spiritual communication we seldom have the chance to enjoy today.

- Has the relationship between East and West improved over the years?

If we are talking about Russian culture, the largest of the Slavic cultures, and the rivalry or quarrel between Russia and the West, I think it will always be an issue. They are two worlds that do not truly communicate with each other; there is always a sort of underlying incomprehension that does not evolve. Look at Dostoyevsky, who, in the 19th century, spent years living in the West and dealing with this issue. Today, more and more people are interested in Russian and Slavic culture, but the lack of communication remains. You cannot come to understand Russia, Spain or Catalonia if you are biased from the start. You need to be open-minded. If you seek only to understand the conflicts based on the parameters you have internalized, you are highly unlikely to succeed. Too many historical realities, too many cultural, anthropological and even psychological and mental aspects, come into play.

- Are the wounds from the Balkan wars gradually healing? 

The Western Balkans have always been a region in which not more than thirty years go by without a major conflict; they stand at a crossroads between East and West. History tells us some circles repeat themselves, sending off sparks that too easily ignite conflicts and fratricidal wars. Just as the wounds of WWII seemed to have finally healed, the economic crisis of the 1990s breathed new life into nationalist discourses, and the people took to them quite readily, which is something you are less likely to do when you feel your life is sorted out. Today, Bosnia is once again in the throes of a major crisis, Serbia has a very populist government, etc. There is a lot of corruption and instability. People say, ‘We just want to live a normal life’, but there are no visionary, forward-thinking politicians doing the right things to enable that.

- What is your take on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine?

The situation there is even more contradictory. I have been travelling to Russia a lot for work since 1996. When I’m in Moscow, I see an increasingly splendid city, brimming with big cafés, academic institutions, museums, etc. But when you speak to the people, they tell you that it is all a façade, designed by Putin to impress the world, and that his policies are despotic. I have pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian friends; most of them tell you things they have seen from the inside, and you can see what happened in the former Yugoslavia happening again. All of them are right to a certain extent, but they are speaking from their gut based on personal experience; they lack an objective perspective. I, like most everyone else who lives in those countries, I’m sure, never imagined that Russia and Ukraine, considered Slavic brothers, would be at war. I find it appalling to think that political and economic interests have led us to this point.

- What can be done to solve the refugee crisis?

Given the helplessness and despair many of us feel as a result of this situation, I have come to the conclusion that we can each do our part, even if it is a small one. UPF, as an institution, can also help. Amongst other projects, at my proposal, the Office of the Vice-rector for Social Responsibility and Promotion is in the process of creating a grant to enable a Syrian refugee to come to UPF to study the master’s programme in Immigration Management.

- Why is it so hard to learn from our mistakes?

When you have had a complicated life experience, such as I have, you relativize. I feel very far removed from any sort of fanaticism or radicalism. For me, what matters, what makes sense, is friendship, loving what I do, sharing, explaining aspects of Slavic culture. In the end, we don’t learn from our mistakes, but rather from suffering. The Greeks knew that through suffering comes knowledge. When I travel through the Balkans, I see twenty-something students who seem much older than ours, because they have had harsher experiences and lives. The way I explain the Balkan conflict is shaped by the fact that I left the region and came to Catalonia. When you experience things from the inside, it is harder not to be radical.

She likes: the sea

A musician: Atahualpa Yupanqui

A book: The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov

A value: generosity

She doesn´t like: envy