Termine und Veranstaltungen

The current lecture series is aimed at revealing some of the aspects that pre-defined and framed the current occasions. On the one hand, the lectures will present the development of Ukrainian identity, nation and sovereignty in different historical context and under various, often contradicting factors. On the other hand, important part of the series is to show how Russia attempted to influence the country from several angles, often using media, culture and religion as tools of spreading narratives harmful for Ukrainian nation-building.

The lecture focuses on the main topics of collective memory in Ukraine. Most of these topics have come to the center of memory politics in Ukraine since the beginning of 1990s: the memory of Holodomor (the famine of 1932 –1933), the Second World War, and Ukrainian struggle for independence during 1917-1921. Some of these topics triggered discussions, disputes, and tensions in Ukraine and internationally. At the same time, these memories could unite masses of people into a group that builds their national identity around them. To put it shortly, these memories had strong potential to mobilize people both for and against certain ideas and political agendas. Since 2014, the new nodes of memory have been formed, which reflect the most recent history of Ukraine: the Euromaidan protests (or Revolution of Dignity 2013-2014) and the memory of the fallen soldiers in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. Dr. Yurchik argues that it is these memories which are under formation now that will have the biggest influence on the (re)-shaping of political/civic national identity in Ukraine in the future. The lecture will discuss both old and new tendencies in memory politics of Ukraine, starting with establishment of main themes of memory politics in the 1990s and finishing with "Leninfall" and "Pushkinfall" in 2014-2023.

Yuliya Yurchuk is Senior Lecturer of History of Ideas at Södertörn University, Sweden. She specializes in memory studies, history of religion, and the study of nationalism in East European countries. She is the author of the book Reordering of Meaningful Worlds: Memory of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in Post-Soviet Ukraine (Acta 2014). Her recent work focused on memory and religion. She is one of the editors of "Memory and Religion from a Postsecular Perspective" (Routledge, 2022, co-edited with Zuzanna Bogumil). Currently she is working on the project in the field of the transnational intellectual history titled "From Sweden with Love: Circulation and interpretation of Ellen Key’s ideas about love, motherhood, and upbringing in the late Russian Empire and the early Soviet Union (1890-1930s)" funded by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies.

Webex Link for the lecture series: https://uni-flensburg.webex.com/uni-flensburg/j.php?MTID=m23bf7fc163fbf2a04766ae6edc1fb67e