HØEK00017U Identity Politics in contemporary Eastern Europe

Since the fall of communism and the collapse of several multinational federations in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the countries of this region have been searching for new ways of defining and legitimizing state constructions. Having abandoned the class-based ideology, most of these countries are now defining themselves as nation states with a liberal democratic political model and capitalist economy. Many of the formerly Communist countries are now members of the European Union, while others still aim for membership.

This course looks at ways in which the countries of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe have attempted to explain and justify their new state structures since the fall of the Berlin Wall. While this certainly has a strictly political dimension, the processes of building states and identities are also playing out in cultural politics and in fields of popular culture, such as music and sports competitions and other cultural events, and in history and memory politics.

Looking at these and other phenomena as expressions of ‘Identity politics’, we will explore how states and societies are explaining themselves across contemporary Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. We will compare different examples and look at particular challenges such as the crisis of the EU and refugees seeking help in Europe.

For students in Polish, Balkan and Russian studies, there will be two hours per week devoted to reading of relevant texts in Polish, BCS and Russian, on top of the 4-hour course