Poland and Ukraine share entangled territories, populations and histories – from the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Rzeczpospolita to the Second World War up to the post-Soviet period. National identity narratives in both countries often refer to the same historical places and events; however, quite often, they are remembered in diverging and even contradictory manners. Andrii Portnov's recently published essay on Polish-Ukrainian historical and contemporary entanglements raises fundamental questions about European memory politics and its limitations regarding the diversity of European heritage and its manifold representations; plural societies; experiences of violence informed by new and old conflicts; the persistent drawing of demarcation lines between the European East and West, Schengen countries and the rest of Europe; conditions for peaceful coexistence in the context of the geopolitical conflict between Russia and “the West”; effects of economic and political reorganization, including the rise of authoritarian political tendencies.
The event will take place virtually via ZOOM. In order to receive the login details, please register at prisma(at)trafo-berlin.de.