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.


the modified  motherland statue, now with the Ukrainian trident on the shield

Politics of History

A Trident on the Shield

Ukraine’s Decommunization Strategy and the Case of the “Mother Ukraine” Statue

Viktoriia Nechyporuk ·


While there have been recurring debates about how to deal with the Soviet legacy since the country's independence, in 2015 decommunisation became a systemic imperative of Ukrainian state policy. Particularly in the case of monuments that are an essential part of the public space, redefinition became a strategy of decommunisation. The article examines the debates surrounding and the alteration of such a monument, the Motherland statue in Kiyv.

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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

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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.

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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.

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