Laboratory for lnternational Memory Studies

General information

Title: Quest for the Past: Politics of History in the ‘United Europe’ and Around (Actors, Actions, Outcomes, end of the 1980s - 2020s)

This research presents the first attempt to provide a synthesis of approaches elaborated before and in introducing some novelties aimed at broadening the methods, perceptions, and interpretations of the phenomenon of the historical politics. In a way, it proposes more comprehensive definitions and categorization of the historical politics itself (see section Theoretical framework).

This research also proposes to go beyond ‘dichotomy’ perceptions and presentations of the politics of memory and historical politics it goes beyond simple juxtapositions, introducing more nuanced notions and definitions. Conceptually it provides a stricter distinction between historical politics and the politics of memory, between memory and history, between ‘words and things’ (in terms of actors’ plans, expected results and real outcomes).

Unlike many other studies in the field, this one concentrates not just on major actors of the politics of history and analysis of their interests and motifs, it also connects this analysis with cultural and societal traditions, views and perceptions of the past.

This research goes beyond the famous formula ‘foreign politics is an expansion of the domestic policy’. It explores national, international and supranational levels of the politics of history and provides another perspective: how internal politics becomes an expansion of foreign or supranational politics.

This study aimed in presenting first synthetic narrative and systemic analysis of the historical politics in the region providing a comparative perspective of the development of phenomena in three regions ‘Western Europe’, ‘Eastern Europe’, and ‘Post-Soviet’ space since the end of 1980s until the beginning of 2020s. There is a number of high-quality studies of memory politics and its international dimensions in Poland and abroad, however, there is no single research, which encompasses the European region at the whole from a comparative perspective.

The research goal and objectives

The Goal: This project proposes to examine the politics of history in contemporary Europe in the period from the 1980s (starting from 1989) to the beginning of the 2020s. The study will provide a comparative perspective of the politics of history in three historically defined regions: ‘Western Europe’, ‘Eastern Europe’ and the ‘PostSoviet space’.

This spatial distinction is a mere analytical tool, which allows to distinguish certain types of the politics of history based on certain political considerations and interests, values and traditions.

Objectives: Accordingly, the research will pursue the following objectives:

• Examination of the interests, roles, functions, and scope of influence of major mnemonic actors: state bodies, non-governmental institutions, media
• Analysis of dominating and alternative or conflicting discourses and representations of the proposed and imposed by these actors
• Analysis of mechanisms of production, transmission and dissemination of memory narratives
• Investigation and comparison of major practices/policies/activities undertaken by major mnemonic actors
• Analysis of the major social, political and cultural determinants of the politics of history
• Study of societal responses to these policies, changes in public attitudes, reactions and activities of opinion makers, intellectuals, experts, mnemonic entrepreneurs
• Analysis of the outcomes of these policies and their consequences for nationstates, international relations and supranational structures

More information about the project can be found HERE