Course Catalogue

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This course uses memory studies as a theoretical approach to understanding the complex legacies of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. The course will develop your understanding of how historical memory has been produced and reshaped over time in political discourse. The content is structured around 5 key themes or inflection points in 20th century history: revolution, conflict, progress, disaster, and transformation. Each theme will be explored using a range of academic and multimedia sources and different countries as case studies. The course will investigate how dominant historical narratives are created, revised and reinforced over time in official political discourse and commemorative practices. It will also explore how those dominant narratives can be contested by individual and collective memory of those who lived through the communist era.

Two consecutive hours per week, for 10 weeks, divided as following:

Lecture: one hour per week, for 10 weeks, in person

Seminar: one hour per week, for 10 weeks, in person

Mandatory Entry Requirements: General Honours entry requirements

None

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Critical Reflection on a Monument (40%) 1500 words 

Group Exhibition Pitch (40%) 20-25 minutes accompanied by a slideshow presentation.

Seminar Participation (20%) Participation in a range of set exercises in seminars over 10 weeks to be submitted weekly

*Programme / course convenors and teaching staff will ensure that due consideration is given to students with disabilities, and that reasonable adjustments are implemented wherever possible, in consultation with relevant support services.

The course aims to teach students about how official narratives on the memory of the communist era have been constructed and continue to evolve in the region. The goal is to help students develop the critical thinking skills to engage with how political leaders utilise historical memory to promote contemporary agendas. Furthermore, they will be able to interpret how personal testimony, cultural outputs, and commemorative practices can be powerful tools to either support or contest those official narratives.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a core understanding of the importance of historical memory to the transformation of Central and Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism in 1991.

2. Identify and analyse the ways in which political leaders have used, revised and even exploited historical memory to build legitimacy and support for contemporary political agendas using a variety of primary and secondary sources.

3. Analyse how national memory is also communicated via commemorative practices and cultural policy including the design of monuments and the curation of national museums and galleries, and how this has changed over time.

4. Critically evaluate the gaps between official narratives on 20th century history and counter-narratives using a range of sources reflecting individual and collective memory including cultural outputs and personal testimonies.

5. Reflect on and compare how different countries in the region have negotiated historical memory of the communist era and its collapse since 1991 by engaging with mechanisms of transitional justice and their impact on society.