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Performing History – Interview with Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair

At our latest PoSoCoMeS online seminar, held on November 27, we welcomed Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair, who discussed her book Commemoration of World War II in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War (transcript, 2024) in conversation with Mischa Gabowitsch. The seminar focused on how World War II is publicly remembered in Lviv against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and how commemorative practices in urban space reveal ongoing negotiations over history, identity, and political meaning.

Continue reading “Performing History – Interview with Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair”

Homeward (2019): “Who will need us, if we don’t need each other?”

by Astrid Wieles

Although Nariman Aliev’s film was released in 2019, before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict escalated into full-scale war, it remains highly relevant today, and may have even grown in importance. Homeward focuses on the situation of the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine, in particular on the dual pressure they face: not only are they a minority in Ukraine, but they also have endured repression from Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. But while doing so, the film makes sure to show us the beauty of Crimea and of the Crimean-Tatar language, culture, and traditions. This movie involves a road trip and touches on war, but it is neither a war movie nor a road trip movie. Rather, it’s about dealing with personal loss, generational conflict, and collective trauma. Continue reading “Homeward (2019): “Who will need us, if we don’t need each other?””

Monuments and Territory – Interview with Mischa Gabowitsch and Mykola Homanyuk

In our latest PoSoCoMeS online seminar, we were delighted to host Mischa Gabowitsch and Mykola Homanyuk, who engaged in a discussion with Ekaterina Haskins and Yuliya Yurchuk about their new book, Monuments and Territory: War Memorials in Russian-Occupied Ukraine (Central European University Press, 2025). Mischa and Mykola examine how Russian invaders have engaged with war memorials in occupied Ukraine since 2022 – destroying some, restoring others, and building new ones while using them for propaganda. Drawing on rare sources, including on-the-ground ethnography from occupied Kherson, they reveal how Russian forces acted on their own myths about Soviet memorials and explore the broader link between monuments and imperial territorial claims. Continue reading “Monuments and Territory – Interview with Mischa Gabowitsch and Mykola Homanyuk”

Beyond Fake History: Rethinking Pseudohistory and Memory through the Lens of ‘Slow Joy’

by Ilana Hartikainen, Zea Szebeni, and Jonas Syrovatka

When we think about how societies remember their past, particularly in post-socialist contexts, our attention often gravitates toward trauma, loss, and what Nixon (2011) and Wustenberg (2023) have approached as “slow violence” — the gradual accumulation of negative impacts that shape collective memory. But what about the other side of this coin? How do societies build and maintain positive emotional connections to their past, even when that past might not fully align with historical evidence? Continue reading “Beyond Fake History: Rethinking Pseudohistory and Memory through the Lens of ‘Slow Joy’”

Remembering the War, Forgetting the Terror – Interview with Ekaterina Haskins

In our recent PoSoCoMeS online seminar, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ekaterina Haskins as she discussed her new book Remembering the War, Forgetting the Terror: Appeals to Family Memory in Putin’s Russia (Penn State University Press, 2024) with Elizaveta Gaufman and Alexandra Yatsyk. The book explores why the memory of the Great Patriotic War remains so powerful in today’s Russia, while public interest in Soviet political terror fades. Ekaterina Haskins examines how war films, urban spaces, and popular rituals shape these trends, showing how both official narratives and family traditions influence remembrance. Continue reading “Remembering the War, Forgetting the Terror – Interview with Ekaterina Haskins”

Post-Socialist Memory: Global Perspectives

by Ksenia Robbe

One of the founding principles of the PoSoCoMeS group has been to consider transregional and global dimensions of post-socialist memory. The ambition to go beyond the traditional, and still often predominant, focus of post-socialist memory studies on single national contexts is reflected in the ‘Co’ for ‘comparative’ within the group’s title and, visually, in its logo setting post-socialism on a global scale. Questioning the habitual associations of ‘(post)socialism’ with Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, this ‘revisionist’ map connects most of Europe and Asia, large parts of Africa, and several South American countries – these being only the areas of (former) state-supported socialism, i.e. not including the places where socialism existed in the form of movements or welfare state practices.

From the very beginnings of the group, this comparative and global ambition has been the most exciting aspect for me. In practice, however, it has often proved difficult to find experts working at the intersection of memory and post-socialism outside of Eastern Europe or Russia and who are interested in transregional dialogues; academic spaces that would welcome such intersections have also been scarce. Yet, as I look at the expanding geographies which are reflecting and theorizing ‘post-socialism’ in a variety of disciplines (from history to anthropology to literary studies), it seems that connecting these debates to developments in memory studies may generate an agenda for a new generation of scholars and a research (sub)field. In what follows, I share my thoughts on the reasons for the difficulties and the potential for dialogues around ‘post-socialism’ in memory studies. Continue reading “Post-Socialist Memory: Global Perspectives”

What is Post-Socialist Memory?

by Daria Khlevniuk

I’ve been asked to write a short blog entry on the definition of post-socialist memory. As one of the co-founders of the PoSoCoMeS group, I suppose it’s assumed that I should have some insights – perhaps even original ideas – on the topic. After all, the purpose of creating the group was to bring together people working on post-socialist memory. Yet, I must admit that I don’t have a clear or groundbreaking definition. Nor can I provide the specific definition that guided my co-founders (Mischa Gabowitsch and Ksenia Robbe) and me when we formed the group, partly because I don’t remember and partly because my thinking has evolved so much since then that I can’t pretend to adhere to the same logic. What I can offer, however, is a brief and somewhat rough sketch of what I find compelling about post-socialist memory today and how I envision it as an evolving field of study. Continue reading “What is Post-Socialist Memory?”