iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

GROSS ANNUAL SALARY: 34.223,14 EXPECTED START OF BOTH PROJECTS: 1 st December 2026 - or later date in agreement with the responsible for the research project. At the link more info on the application procedures.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Possible lines of inquiry include: - The construction of the Iron Gates hydroelectric power plants. - The Morava–Vardar Canal project. - Candidates are also highly encouraged to propose alternative research topics that contribute to the broader objectives of the project.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The 2nd PD fellow will work on Yugoslavia. The succesful candidate will examine how the Yugoslav government utilized the Danube and its major tributaries in an effort to transform the country into a central hub for European inland waterway transport and hydroelectric production.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

How did German firms and political actors engage with and influence the project? These are the main research questions that our future team member will be asked to address.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The first postdoctoral researcher will work on the Danube in West Germany and, more specifically, on the post-World War II history of the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal. To what extent did Cold War dynamics affect the dream of a unified European inland waterway network?

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#skystorians JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS, UNIVERSITY OF TRENTO We are looking for TWO POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS to join the FluidCurtain team and work on the history of Danube management during the Cold War. DEADLINE: October 15th, 2026, 12.00 am t.co/EJmpPwuBDI

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https://lavoraconnoi.unitn.it/contratti-di-ricerca/dipartimento-di-lettere-e-filosofia-bando-di-selezione-il-conferimento-di-n-2-contratti-di-ricerca

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I’ve even opened an Instagram page dedicated exclusively to the project — something quite new for me — where I’ll share maps, photos, and archival glimpses from the research: @francescomagno_fluidborder. Your interest would be greatly appreciated

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

FluidBorder aims to shed new light on the international history of Eastern European communism and to reconstruct the infrastructural and ecological evolution of the Lower Danube in the second half of the twentieth century.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Why has the Lower Danube remained such a disconnected space? Does the legacy of the Cold War still shape this borderland? I seeks to answer these questions by exploring how socialist internationalism attempted, and often failed, to transform the river into a space of cooperation.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

The two countries share more than 450 km of riparian border. Both were ruled by communist regimes. Yet only two bridges connect the two shores, no joint hydropower plant was ever built, and even today cooperation on navigation and environmental management remains limited.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I’m glad to share that my MarieCurie Fellowship at the Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po has officially started The project “FluidBorder. Sharing the Lower Danube During the Cold War” investigates the complex relationship between Romania and Bulgaria along their shared Danube frontier.

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Reposted by Francesco Magno

Environmental Politics @environmentalpol.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

New book review! Ecocide in Ukraine: the environmental cost of Russia’s war by Darya Tsymbalyuk, Cambridge & Hoboken, Polity, 2025. Reviewed by Yaroslava Kutsai. doi.org/10.1080/0964...

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Bloomberg has described Bulgaria’s water crisis as a “warning for Europe.” In the coming years, increasing resources will need to be devoted to new water storage solutions across the continent. Treating water infrastructure as an ideological battleground risks proving self-destructive.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Now, amid growing protests from exhausted citizens in the city of Pleven, the government has revived an old communist-era proposal for a dam on the Cherni Osam River—though it faces strong opposition from environmental groups.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

and it has seen little renovation since. Despite the country’s access to the Danube for more than 400 kilometers and several internal rivers, in the last 35 years the state has effectively abandoned plans for new dams and reservoirs.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Reduced rainfall has indeed depleted reservoirs faster, but that is only part of the story.Bulgaria suffers the highest water loss rate in the EU due to malfunctioning and broken pipes. Much of the distribution network dates back to the communist era, making it 30 to 50 years old...

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

In a European Union country, more than 160,000 people endure severe water shortages every summer. In Central and Northern Bulgaria, citizens often have access to running water for only a few hours a day during the hottest months—and the cause is not simply climate change.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

The Mineriade remain an indelible stain on his legacy, as do the murky days of the Revolution. Still, it’s not far-fetched to say that today, Romania has lost the most significant political figure of its young democratic era.

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Recently the 🇷🇴 presidential candidate V. Ponta declared that, as prime minister in 2014, he ordered to open floodgates at the Iron Gates Dam causing the massive flooding of 🇷🇴 villages in order to spare floods and damage in Belgrade. As a result, he was granted 🇷🇸 citizenship.

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Reposted by Francesco Magno

Dagomar Degroot @dagomardegroot.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

New #EnvHist article! In this collaboration with art historian Rachel Kase, I explore what the visual legacy of #Arctic whaling can tell us about the possibilities - and perils - of #ClimateChange adaptation. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

A 1985 🇷🇴 postcard of the Danube Delta. In the 1980s, the communist regime, in a desperate search for new sources of income, encouraged Western tourism in the Delta. Germans and Dutch visitors, in particular, loved the area, which was ideal for fishing and birdwatching. Source: arhivelelitoralului.ro

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

#Skystorians HELP NEEDED: Does anyone know geographers familiar with historical GIS who would be willing to have a short Zoom call with me? I need some clarifications on GIS technicalities before I finalise a proposal. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to offer besides my gratitude. I hope is enough

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

The colossal carving of Dacian King Decebalus on the Danube shore near the 🇷🇴 city of Orșova. This sculpture serves as a tribute to Dacian heritage, a central theme in a particular strain of Romanian nationalism that gained prominence during Ceaușescu’s era and remains influential today

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

A new book on the modern history of the Danube edited by Stefan Dorondel and Luminita Gatejel is going to be out soon. Looking forward to it!

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Today in Rome, at the Gramsci Foundation, I will discuss the rise of the radical right in Romania together with other outstanding scholars. Live streaming will be available on the facebook page "fondazione Gramsci" and on fondazionegramsci.org

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Francesco Magno @francescomagno.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Excited to join Bluesky! Currently I'm a postdoc fellow at the University of Trento and a M. Curie awardee (upcoming). My current research focuses on the history of the lower Danube and its management during the Cold War. Looking forward to discussing with colleagues and sharing research

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