CEEShub’s Co-director Birgit Poopuu receives the 2026 Emma Goldman Award!
On March 5, the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna hosted the annual Emma Goldman Awards, co-organized with the Netherlands-based FLAX Foundation.
We are thrilled to announce that CEEShub’s co-director Birgit Poopuu was among this year’s laureates, receiving the prestigious Emma Goldman Award for her decolonial feminist research!
The awards are named after the feminist and activist Emma Goldman (1869–1940). Each year, the FLAX Foundation grants these prizes to scholars residing in Europe who contribute significantly to the study of feminism, inequality, and social justice. Prof. Poopuu was recognized for her research, which she carries out in collaboration with Syrian activists, and for her efforts in promoting collaborative research, examining violence and security from critical-relational perspectives, and supporting networks of scholars working on feminist peace, including her work developed with her thought-companion Élise Féron.
In addition to the award, Prof. Poopuu was selected as one of only two recipients of the 2026–2027 Emma Goldman Fellowship. This fellowship grants her a one-month research residency at the IWM in Vienna.
“I am truly humbled to be recognized for my decolonial feminist work,” Poopuu noted. She emphasized that this recognition also belongs to the many colleagues, activists, friends, and family whose support made this research possible. Reflecting on the award ceremony, she added that it was a reminder that even when the world seems shrouded in darkness, so many people continue to light fires in their own corners of it, bringing knowledge, courage, and hope.
On behalf of our team here at the CEEShub, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Poopuu! Your achievement truly reflects your dedication, talent, and the positive impact you make in the world every day!
Photos © Klaus Ranger