Memory Politics and the Study of Crises in International Relations: Insights from Ukraine and Lithuania
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Dovilė Budrytė
Abstract
How could research on memory politics in Eastern Europe speak to the wider concerns of International Relations (IR)? This article argues that research on historical memory (politics) that is common in area studies could help to rethink the study of crises in IR by demonstrating how crises change discourses and yield opportunities for memories to be challenged and defended ‒ not only by the “strong,” but also by the “weak” (or “peripheral”) actors. It further shows how conflicts over memory can become new crises. To illustrate this argument, the paper presents a comparative study of memory politics in Ukraine and Lithuania, tracing major discursive changes, their domestic and international impact, and offering a depiction of how hegemonic historical accounts were created before and during the 2013/2014 crisis in Ukraine and how they were contested in the aftermath of the crisis. By linking the study of international crises to memory politics of “weak” actors, this paper attempts to develop a “provincializing” platform for global IR.
Abstract
How could research on memory politics in Eastern Europe speak to the wider concerns of International Relations (IR)? This article argues that research on historical memory (politics) that is common in area studies could help to rethink the study of crises in IR by demonstrating how crises change discourses and yield opportunities for memories to be challenged and defended ‒ not only by the “strong,” but also by the “weak” (or “peripheral”) actors. It further shows how conflicts over memory can become new crises. To illustrate this argument, the paper presents a comparative study of memory politics in Ukraine and Lithuania, tracing major discursive changes, their domestic and international impact, and offering a depiction of how hegemonic historical accounts were created before and during the 2013/2014 crisis in Ukraine and how they were contested in the aftermath of the crisis. By linking the study of international crises to memory politics of “weak” actors, this paper attempts to develop a “provincializing” platform for global IR.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Between Wikipedia and a Museum: Historical Narrative “Tools”
- Memory Politics and the Study of Crises in International Relations: Insights from Ukraine and Lithuania 11
- Local Memory, International Conflicts: Case Study of the Katyn Memorial in Jersey City, USA 41
- Sources of International Conflicts in Contemporary and Historical Context as a Threat to the Global Democratic and Liberal Order: Causes of Occurrence and Ways of Eradication 59
- The Role of Historical Museums in Overcoming the Traumatic Past 77
- Wiki-History of Crimea: Ukrainian and Russian Versions 91
- The Problem of Preserving Monumental Objects of Art during Contemporary International Conflicts (on the Example of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict) 105
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From Different Perspectives: History as an Instrument of Politics
- Historically Charged Conflict: Nagorno-Karabakh between War and Diplomatic Failure 119
- History as an Instrument of Continuing Indo-Pakistan Rivalry from 1947 till 2021 139
- National History as Tools of Installing National Borders in Central Asia Countries 157
- Belgium – Its Neighbours and the Process from a Centralised to a Federalist State 165
- History as an Instrument of Contemporary International Conflicts: The Case of the Sudanese States 179
- The Comparison of Russian Propaganda: From the Years 1917–1921 to Nowadays 193
- List of Contributors 209
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Between Wikipedia and a Museum: Historical Narrative “Tools”
- Memory Politics and the Study of Crises in International Relations: Insights from Ukraine and Lithuania 11
- Local Memory, International Conflicts: Case Study of the Katyn Memorial in Jersey City, USA 41
- Sources of International Conflicts in Contemporary and Historical Context as a Threat to the Global Democratic and Liberal Order: Causes of Occurrence and Ways of Eradication 59
- The Role of Historical Museums in Overcoming the Traumatic Past 77
- Wiki-History of Crimea: Ukrainian and Russian Versions 91
- The Problem of Preserving Monumental Objects of Art during Contemporary International Conflicts (on the Example of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict) 105
-
From Different Perspectives: History as an Instrument of Politics
- Historically Charged Conflict: Nagorno-Karabakh between War and Diplomatic Failure 119
- History as an Instrument of Continuing Indo-Pakistan Rivalry from 1947 till 2021 139
- National History as Tools of Installing National Borders in Central Asia Countries 157
- Belgium – Its Neighbours and the Process from a Centralised to a Federalist State 165
- History as an Instrument of Contemporary International Conflicts: The Case of the Sudanese States 179
- The Comparison of Russian Propaganda: From the Years 1917–1921 to Nowadays 193
- List of Contributors 209
