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.
Politics of Memory
In December 2019 Anton Drobovych, a relatively unknown historian, was appointed as new head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance. His appointment came as a surprise to many observers of Ukraine’s historical and public history scene and could mean a shift in the post-Euromaidan politics of memory in Ukraine. The article assesses first statements by Drobovych and discusses them against the backdrop of past memory-related policies and legislation.
Politics of History
On 20 September 2019, a Bucharest Court confirmed that Romanian former president Traian Băsescu had been a “collaborator of the Securitate” during the communist era. The court verdict has refueled public debates about Romania’s incomplete lustration of former Securitate agents from democratic political life. The article discusses the recent verdict and its relevance for understanding Romania’s past transitional justice process.
Focus Remembering the Shoah
Am 9. November 2019 wäre Imre Kertész 90 Jahre alt geworden, seine Literatur ist Vermächtnis und Herausforderung zugleich. Wie kein anderer hat er die Gefahr benannt, dass die Erinnerung an den Holocaust im Ritual erstarren könnte. Wie prägt sein Werk die Erinnerung an den Holocaust und welchen Einfluss hat er auf die heutige Literatur?
Um diese Fragen zu erörtern, lud das Imre Kertész den Schriftsteller Daniel Kehlmann am 10. November 2019 nach Jena ein. Unter dem Titel „In Auschwitz hat sich die Wirklichkeit entlarvt“ sprach Kehlmann mit Sarah Kunte, Alexander Walther und Włodzimierz Borodziej.