Einführung in die osteuropäische Geschichte - Einzelansicht

Introduction to East European History

Eastern Europe has been often seen in popular imagination as an 'other' and 'worst' part of the European continent, highly stereotyped and hidden in the shadow of powerful neighbours. In our seminar, we will analyze how key images of Eastern Europe - with its changing borders - have been created, transformed and debated since the Enlightenment till nowadays. We will also study and discuss the historical development of the region, with special attention to the history of the 20^th century and with focus on Ukraine and Belarus. Literary texts and films will be additional sources for our work.

Students are expected to participate actively in the discussions at class as well as to prepare an oral presentation of selected topic and/or submit written essays (Thesenpapier).

Working language: English

Basic bibliography

Snyder, Timothy The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999 (Yale University Press, 2003).

Wolff, Larry Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment (Stanford, 1994).

Snyder, Timothy Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin (New York, 2010).

Applebaum, Anne Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 (Toronto, 2012).

Kenney, Padraic A Carnival of Revolution: Central Europe 1989 (Princeton University Press, 2002).

Tomasz Zarycki, Ideologies of Eastness in Central and Eastern Europe (London-New York: Routledge, 2014). 

Plokhy, Serhii The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine (London, 2016).

Für 4 LP:
- ein Referat und ein Thesenpapier oder
- vier Thesenpapiere