Decolonising East European History

Organised by Durham University History Department.

Chair: Dr Markian Prokopovych.

Details:

The place of history and of historians in the broader society is currently being redefined in the face of the Russian aggression in Ukraine when imperialist narratives are routinely used to justify the horrifying crimes of war. In the wake of the open invasion of 24 February 2022, several prominent Ukrainian historians and international organisations of East European scholars have called for the decolonising of East European history. However, decolonisation as a historical endeavour and method that emerged as a powerful critique of Western knowledge systems and hegemonic discourses might require some fine tuning when applied to other times and geographies. How could historians use decolonisation productively to amplify and scrutinise hitherto silenced and marginalised voices? In what other ways could institutions such as universities, libraries and historical archives embrace it as an ongoing programme and project? Taking Ukraine as an example, and in particular the narratives about so-called ‘Novorossia,’ this debate with aim to explore new ways of approaching Eastern European history in research and in the classroom.