The politics of memory after the end of the Cold War in the countries of former 'Eastern Europe'
3/6 ECTS

Seminar (Präsenzveranstaltung): MES: Zentralbereich Kultur // MES: WPM 5: Kultur, Geschichte & Gesellschaft in Europa
Veranstaltungsbeginn: 21.04.2022 Do, 16:15 - 17:45 Uhr
The fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union caused a rethinking of collective identity projects in various parts of the former "Eastern Europe", whose very name is to a large extent a product of the Cold War. A new relationship to the communist past, to state violence, and a reconfiguration of the national narrative of history - this was the new symbolic reality after 1989-1991. In the course we will discuss how the collective perception of history is changing in the countries of the former "Eastern Europe" (Poland, the Czech Republic, Belarus, the Baltic States, Russia, etc.) and how politics and history affect each other and societies.

Hinweise zur Veranstaltung: The working language of the course is Russian (sources in Russian and English are used). Рабочий язык курса - русский (используются источники на русском и английском языках). Moodlekurs
Sprache: Russisch

Historical Memory and Oblivion in the Digital Age
3/6 ECTS

Seminar (Präsenzveranstaltung): MES: Zentralbereich Kultur // MES: WPM 5: Kultur, Geschichte & Gesellschaft in Europa
Veranstaltungsbeginn: 20.04.2022 Mi, 9:15 - 10:45 Uhr
How are "history" and "memory" possible in the digital age? On the one hand, there are tremendous opportunities for data archiving and improved quantitative research methodology; on the other hand, the advent of digital technology, crowdsourced knowledge (Wikipedia, etc.) is again sharpening the problem of defining the quality of historical information and its accessibility. One of the themes of contemporary dystopias is the loss of digital archives of information. In the course we will discuss how the view of history and the work of historians in the digital age is changing within and outside the professional community. We will also discuss the political and social challenges of representing history through digital technology.

Hinweise zur Veranstaltung: The working language of the course is English. Moodle course.
Sprache: Englisch

The Politics of Memory in Urban Space
3/6 ECTS
Seminar (Präsenzveranstaltung): MES: Zentralbereich Kultur // MES: WPM 4: Stadt, Region und Grenze in Europa
Veranstaltungsbeginn: 21.10.2021 Do, 11:15 - 12:45 Uhr Ort: GD 04

The urban space is a site of contestation about different models of collective identity and historical narratives. It constitutes the
public representation of the voices of different actors and communities of memory. We will look at the urban spaces of the former
'Eastern Europe', in which a unique mix of historical traces and political practices can be found. Berlin, Warsaw, Minsk, and Kiev give
us examples of the politics of memory as represented in urban toponymies, museums, monuments, examples of architecture and
the visual arts. In the seminar, we analyse how history and memory of historical events are represented in the urban space, how
the ways of representing history in urban spaces are changing today, and we analyse the context of these changes. The working
language of the course is English. Students who know Russian are especially welcome as some of the sources and texts are in
Russian.

Literatur: Huyssen, Andreas. Present pasts: urban palimpsests and the politics of memory/Stanford University Press, 2003 Mark
Crimson, ed. Urban Memory: History and Amnesia in the Modern City/ Routledge, 2005
Leistungsnachweise: Referate, Essays (je 3 ECTS-Credit). Maximal können 6 ECTS-Credits erworben werden.
Sprache: Englisch

World War II in the Historical Memory of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia
6 ECTS
Vorlesung (Präsenzveranstaltung)
Veranstaltungsbeginn: 19.11.2020 Di, 11:15 - 12:45 Uhr, Ort: GD 04

The historical memory of World War II differs widely among post-soviet states and societies. In contemporary Belarus, the authoritarian regime uses the memory of the War to fight political opponents. In Ukraine, a new narrative of memory about the Second World War and the Holocaust has emerged. In Russia, large public actions like the "Immortal Regiment" are connected with the memory of the – as it is called in Russia – Great Patriotic War. In the seminar, we will examine the following questions: how has the memory of the Second World War changed in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine throughout the decades; how do politicians use this memory; what problem areas of this historical memory exist; and how is the memory of the Second World War represented in museums and popular culture in the three countries? The working language of the course is English. Students who know Russian are especially welcome as some of the sources and texts are in Russian.

Literatur: War and Memory in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus//Editors: Fedor, J., Kangaspuro, M., Lassila, J., Zhurzhenko, T. (Eds.) 2017/ Palgrave Macmillan, Our Glorious Past': Lukashenka’s Belarus and the Great Patriotic War/ David Marples/ (Ibidem-Verlag, Hannover, Germany, 2014)
Leistungsnachweise: Referate, Essays (je 3 ECTS-Credit). Maximal können 6 ECTS-Credits erworben werden.
Sprache: Englisch

Обсуждая прошлое – публичная история в Беларуси
3/6 ECTS
Kurs (Präsenzveranstaltung): MES: WPM 5: Kultur, Geschichte & Gesellschaft in Europa // KGMOE: Wahlmodul: Menschen - Artefakte - Visionen
Veranstaltungsbeginn: 15.04.2021 Do, 11:15 - 12:45 Uhr Ort: AM 02

Дебаты о прошлом стали частью политической жизни в современной Беларуси, начиная с конца 1980-х гг. ХХ века: это были споры об исторической памяти сообщества, идентичности, наследии политических режимов ХХ века. Политические протесты 2020 года в Беларуси также стали поводом для споров о наследии сталинизма, истории белорусского национализма и памяти о Второй мировой войне, наследии нового авторитаризма. Наши вопросы: что из себя представляет политика памяти в современной Беларуси, какие темы являются наиболее обсуждаемыми, как разные акторы пытаются лоббировать свой образ истории для всего сообщества, и насколько модель политики памяти в Беларуси является типичной или уникальной? Курс состоит из лекций и семинаров, на которых мы будем также анализировать то, как политика памяти проявляется в разных аспектах: в историческом образовании, городском пространстве, цифровых проектах, деятельности различных инициатив.

Literatur: Nelly Bekus: Struggle over Identity: The Official and the Alternative „Belarusianness“, Budapest 2010; David R. Marples: ‚Our Glorious Past‘: Lukashenka‘s Belarus and the Great Patriotic War, Stuttgart 2014.
Hinweise zur Veranstaltung/zum Blockseminar: Weitere Informationen zur Veranstaltung sind hier zu finden: https://moodle.europa-uni.de/course/view.php?id=9487
Leistungsnachweise: Referate, Essays (je 3 ECTS-Credits). Maximal können 6 ECTS-Credits erworben werden.
Sprache: Russisch

Historicizing the 1990s and 2020s: Introduction into the Social History of Belarus

6ECTS
Kurs (Präsenzveranstaltung):
Veranstaltungsbeginn: 13.04.2021 Di, 11:15-12:45 Uhr Ort: AM 02

In the public space and the media, modern Belarus is often represented through a set of stereotypes or definitions like „the last dictatorship of Europe“ (Andrew Wilson, 2012) or „the denationalized nation“ (Marples, 1999). In this course, we will try to understand and analyse various aspects of life in modern Belarus which go far beyond these ideas: which confirm or disprove them. Diverse aspects and strategies of everyday life and the social history of post-totalitarian and authoritarian society lie at the core of this course. Consisting of lectures and seminars, the course aims at analysing a wide range of social phenomena in modern Belarus, and also at understanding the context of the political protests of 2020.

Literatur: Andrew Wilson: The Last European Dictatorship, New Haven 2012; Elena Korosteleva / Colin Lawson / Rosalind Marsh (eds.): Contemporary Belarus Between Democracy and Dictatorship, London 2002.
Hinweise zur Veranstaltung/zum Blockseminar: Der Kurs findet in englischer Sprache statt.
Weitere Informationen zur Veranstaltung sind hier zu finden: https://moodle.europa-uni.de/course/view.php?id=9304
Leistungsnachweise: Referat/Essays. Es können maximal 6 ECTS erworben werden.
Sprache: Englisch