Imre Kertész Kolleg Jena

Cultures of History Forum

Here we provide a preview of our latest publications. Follow this link to the Cultures of History Forum's website to get access to all our articles.


Moldovan president Maia Sandu visits the Eternity Memorial Complex in Chişinău on 9 May 2024

Debating 20th Century History

The Divided Legacies of 9 May in Moldova

.

Anastasia Felcher ·


How has the commemoration of the end of World War II turned into a high-profile political spectacle in Moldova in the 2020s? The article explores the divisions over history and memory that fuel the confrontational dynamics of the 9 May holiday in the country. Although it has adopted an anti-Russian stance post-February 2022 and is moving towards European integration, Victory Day sentiments still hold strong mobilisation potential that Russia and its political protégés seek to exploit.

Full article

Mother Teresa Square in Skopje

Debating 20th Century History

The “Skopje 2014 project” at its Tenth Anniversary

A Story of Resilience

Naum Trajanovski ·


In September 2023, Skopje was named the 2028 European Capital of Culture alongside Bourges and České Budějovice. The news renewed a debate within North Macedonia about the capital city’s past, present, and potential futures. Common to all positions in the debate was that they referred, in one way or another, to the Skopje 2014 project. This article maps the latest critical events pertaining to this project and discusses its legacy after nearly fifteen years.

Full article

statues of Red Army soldiers at the Antakalnis Military Cemetery in Vilnius

Politics of History

Lithuania’s Postcolonial Iconoclasm

or Politics by Other Means

Violeta Davoliūtė ·


The reaction of the Baltic states to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has been debated among academics as a 'postcolonial moment of sorts' as it triggered a new wave of anti-Soviet(Russian) iconoclasm across the region. The article focuses on the politics surrounding the latest wave of dismantling and renaming of monuments, public spaces and paradigms in Lithuania, discussing the arguments and actors involved as well as their motivations.

Full article