April 12-13

BERLIN,
AUFARBEITUNG FOUNDATION
CONFERENCE HALL

Kronenstraße 5

History and Historians
in the Post-Truth Era: Monopoly, Polyphony, Cacophony?

Fourth Conference in Memory of Arseny Roginsky
2024
April 12-13, 2024 Zukunft Memorial organises the Fourth Conference in memory of Arseny Roginsky (1946-2017), historian, political prisoner, and one of the founders of Memorial. It will take place in Berlin at the Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung's conference hall and will be broadcasted online. The conference will be translated into three languages: German, English and Russian.
Introduction
Recent events in Russia have shown that neither the awareness of the devastating impact of historical manipulations, nor the copious amount of research undertaken to reconstruct past events and historical processes objectively or even the new possibilities granted by new media and communication tools can prevent the rewriting of history for the sake of imperialistic, nationalistic or ideological interests.

Pages of history brought to light after decades of concealment are now coming under attack. And the problem is worse than that: even long-established and well-documented facts are at risk of manipulation. Long-debunked myths and statements proven to be lies are once again being presented as legitimate versions of past events or even as indisputable "truths". The active construction of myths and the continuous attacks on history are characteristic of authoritarian regimes, which make efficient use of new technologies for this purpose and do not neglect the use of traditional means (e.g., school textbooks, monuments, etc.). However, history is also often instrumentalised and manipulated by a variety of political forces, social groups and individuals in democratic countries.

New information technologies have made it more difficult to establish monopolies over historical narratives by broadening the range of players active in the field of historical memory and by giving a voice to those whose views or experiences would have gone largely unheard in the past. At the same time, these technologies have given historians unprecedented opportunities for the verification of facts and access to a large amount of data, as well as the possibilities to address wide audiences.

Nevertheless, this new situation is also resulting in a sort of "overproduction" of history, the undermining of the legitimacy of expert knowledge, and the blurring of the boundaries between "real" and "fake" news, between an account of events documented by historical sources and multiple versions of the past.

This "post-factual" situation brings with it broad opportunities for the manipulation of history and the construction of new mythologies. Various forms of "fake history" and falsification of history – ranging from the concealment, distortion and manipulation of individual facts to the creation of completely bogus "pseudo-histories" – exist in today's Russia. This has long been one of the regime's most important policy tools. In a situation of authoritarian control over the past, an alternative version of events, styled as "scientific research" and supported by the authority of the state or some other powerful propaganda tools, can be pushed forward in opposition to any sound research or expert analysis. These phenomena are not restricted to authoritarian systems though: they are emerging in other countries, albeit in less extreme forms, in conjunction with the loss of authority in society for expert knowledge.

What can researchers and experts do in the face of this post-factual era and the overproduction of historical knowledge?


HISTORY AND HISTORIANS IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA
Fourth Conference in Memory of Arseny Roginsky. Day 1
HISTORY AND HISTORIANS IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA
Fourth Conference in Memory of Arseny Roginsky. Day 2

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

April 12-13, 2024
Berlin,
Aufarbeitung Foundation Conference Hall
Kronenstraße 5
  • April 12
    9.30 - 10.00

    10.00 - 10.20









    10.20 - 13.00





















    13.00 - 14.00

    14.00 - 16.00



















    16.20 - 18.00













    18.00 - 18.30
    Registration of participants

    Greetings

    Anna Kaminsky (The Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in East Germany, Germany)

    Evgeniy Zakharov (International Memorial Association, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Ukraine)

    Elena Zhemkova (Zukunft Memorial, Germany)

    Panel 1: The History and Politics of Memory
    in the post-memory Era


    Moderator: Juliette Cadiot (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris)

    Norbert Frei (Germany) Two types of challenges. On the past and present of the German culture of remembrance ➤➤

    Andrii Portnov (Germany) Reflections on the (im)possibility of a Russian-Ukrainian dialogue on history and memory ➤➤

    Coffee break

    Nikolay Koposov (USA) From Critical History to the Identitarian Paradigm: Historiography in the Post-Truth Age ➤➤

    Antoon De Baets (Netherlands) Attacks by State and non-State Actors against Historians: A Human Rights Framework ➤➤

    Discussion

    Break

    Panel 2: Immortal Myths: Metamorphosis, Habitat, Life after Death

    Moderator: Emilia Koustova (University of Strasbourg)

    Natalya Konradova (Germany) The Unknown: Between Science and Mystical Practice. The History of One Pseudoscience ➤➤

    Péter Csunderlik (Hungary) Anti-Westernism fueled by Historical Traumas – The Illiberal Memory Policy of the Orbán Regime ➤➤

    Konstantin Morozov (France) Anti-Bolshevik Terrorism in 1918: Fake History, Myths and Mythsbusting ➤➤

    Nikita Petrov
    (Russia) MGB-General Sudoplatov: The Anti-Hero Mythology ➤➤

    Discussion

    Coffee break

    Panel 3: Historians Blindness: Historical Knowledge, its Gaps and Margins

    Moderator: Marek Radziwon (University of Warsaw)

    Katarzyna Person (Warsaw Ghetto Museum, Poland) Seeing and not-seeing. The Holocaust in Poland ➤➤

    Simone Bellezza (Italy): From Public History to Fake History: Ukrainian History in the Italian Media since 24 February 2022 ➤➤

    Tomas Glanc (Switzerland) Good Bye to Russian Studies, or Business as Usual? Slavic Studies at a Crossroad ➤➤

    Discussion

    Musical Duo
    Vocals - Etel Enenberg
    Guitar - Viktor Krysyuk
  • April 13
    9.30 - 10.00

    10:00 - 13:00























    13:00 - 14:00

    14:00 - 17:00























    17.20 - 19.00
    Registration of participants

    Panel 4: History Written to Order... Historians to Arms! Mobilizing History and Historians

    Moderator: Joachim von Puttkamer (The Friedrich Schiller University in Jena)

    Sevil Huseynova (Germany) Common Historical Myths before and after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War ➤➤

    Iryna Ramanava (Belarus) The Genocide of the Belarusian People: A Useful Concept for the Regime ➤➤

    Kseniia Kuzina (Ukraine/France) Occupied Education: Textbooks on the History of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" ➤➤

    Coffee break

    Ekaterina Lapina-Kratasyuk (Italy) Internet Projects without Network Effects: How the Russian Military Historical Society Masters Digital Space ➤➤

    Mariia Vasilevskaia (Germany) "Knowingly False Information": How Trials Construct Memories of the Present ➤➤

    Discussion

    Break

    Panel 5: The Historian in the Context of Polyphony and the Competition of Memories

    Moderator: Irina Scherbakova (Zukunft Memorial, Berlin)

    Paweł Machcewicz (Poland) Historians, museums and politics of history. The Polish case ➤➤

    Nicolas Offenstadt (France) Histories and memories of the GDR: Historiographical debates and political tensions ➤➤

    Tomas Sniegon (Sweden) Liberation from Konev the Liberator? Czech Historical Culture since 2014 ➤➤

    Coffee break

    Tetiana Pastushenko (Ukraine/Germany) Ukrainian Historians amidst the War: Current Problems and Challenges ➤➤

    Quentin Deluermoz (France) History of Past Possibilities and Counterfactual Histories: A Tool for a "Post-Truth Era"? ➤➤

    Discussion

    Round Table: Means and forms of resistance: On the (im)possibility of independent public history in contemporary Russia

    Moderator: Philipp Dzyadko (Russia/Germany)

    • Violeta Davoliūtė (Lithuania)

    • Alexandra Polivanova (Russia/Poland)

    • Alexander Borzenko (Latvia)

    • Nikita Sokolov (Russia/Germany)

    • Alexander Polivanov (Latvia)
  • April 12
    9.30 - 10.00
    Registration of participants
  • 10.00 - 10.20
    Greetings

    Anna Kaminsky (The Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in East Germany, Germany)

    Evgeniy Zakharov (International Memorial Association, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Ukraine)

    Elena Zhemkova (Zukunft Memorial, Germany)
  • 10.20 - 13.00
    Panel 1: The History and Politics of Memory in the post-memory Era

    Moderator: Juliette Cadiot (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris)

    Norbert Frei (Germany)
    Two types of challenges. On the past and present of the German culture of remembrance ➤➤

    Andrii Portnov (Germany)
    Reflections on the (im)possibility of a Russian-Ukrainian dialogue onhistory and memory ➤➤

    Coffee break

    Nikolay Koposov (USA)
    From Critical History to the Identitarian Paradigm: Historiography in the Post-Truth Age ➤➤

    Antoon De Baets (Netherlands) Attacks by State and non-State Actors against Historians:
    A Human Rights Framework ➤➤

    Discussion
  • 13.00 - 14.00
    Break
  • 14.00 - 16.00
    Panel 2: Immortal Myths: Metamorphosis, Habitat, Life after Death

    Moderator:
    Emilia Koustova
    (University of Strasbourg)

    Natalya Konradova (Germany)
    The Unknown: Between Science and Mystical Practice. The History of One Pseudoscience ➤➤

    Péter Csunderlik (Hungary)
    Anti-Westernism fueled by Historical Traumas – The Illiberal Memory Policy of the Orbán Regime ➤➤

    Konstantin Morozov (France)
    Anti-Bolshevik Terrorism in 1918: Fake History, Myths and Mythsbusting ➤➤

    Nikita Petrov
    (Russia)
    MGB-General Sudoplatov: The Anti-Hero Mythology ➤➤

    Discussion

    Coffee break
  • 16.20 - 18.00
    Panel 3:
    Historians Blindness: Historical Knowledge,
    its Gaps and Margins

    Moderator:
    Marek Radziwon
    (University of Warsaw)

    Katarzyna Person
    (Warsaw Ghetto Museum, Poland)
    Seeing and not-seeing. The Holocaust in Poland ➤➤

    Simone Bellezza (Italy)
    From Public History to Fake History: Ukrainian History in the Italian Media since 24 February 2022 ➤➤

    Tomas Glanc (Switzerland)
    Good Bye to Russian Studies, or Business as Usual? Slavic Studies at a Crossroad ➤➤

    Discussion
  • 18.00 - 18.30
    Musical Duo
    Vocals - Etel Enenberg
    Guitar - Viktor Krysyuk
  • April 13
    9.30 - 10.00
    Registration of participants
  • 10.00 - 13.00
    Panel 4:
    History Written to Order... Historians to Arms! Mobilizing History and Historians


    Moderator:
    Joachim von Puttkamer (The Friedrich Schiller University in Jena)

    Sevil Huseynova
    (Germany)
    Common Historical Myths before and after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War ➤➤

    Iryna Ramanava (Belarus)
    The Genocide of the Belarusian People: A Useful Concept for the Regime ➤➤

    Kseniia Kuzina
    (Ukraine/France)
    Occupied Education: Textbooks on the History of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" ➤➤

    Coffee break

    Ekaterina
    Lapina-Kratasyuk
    (Italy)
    Internet Projects without Network Effects: How the Russian Military Historical Society Masters Digital Space ➤➤

    Mariia Vasilevskaia (Germany)
    "Knowingly False Information": How Trials Construct Memories of the Present ➤➤

    Discussion
  • 13.00 - 14.00
    Break
  • 14.00 - 17.00
    Panel 5: The Historian in the Context of Polyphony and the Competition of Memories

    Moderator:
    Irina Scherbakova
    (Zukunft Memorial, Berlin)

    Paweł Machcewicz (Poland)
    Historians, museums and politics of history. The Polish case ➤➤

    Nicolas Offenstadt (France) Histories and memories of the GDR: Historiographical debates and political tensions ➤➤

    Tomas Sniegon
    (Sweden) Liberation from Konev the Liberator? Czech Historical Culture since 2014 ➤➤

    Coffee break

    Tetiana Pastushenko (Ukraine/Germany)
    Ukrainian Historians amidst the War: Current Problems and Challenges ➤➤

    Quentin Deluermoz (France)
    History of Past Possibilities and Counterfactual Histories: A Tool for a "Post-Truth Era"? ➤➤

    Discussion
  • 17.20 - 19.00
    Round Table: Means and forms of resistance:
    On the (im)possibility of independent public history in contemporary Russia


    Moderator:
    Philipp Dzyadko
    (Russia/Germany)

    • Violeta Davoliūtė (Lithuania)
    • Alexandra Polivanova (Russia/Poland)
    • Alexander Borzenko (Latvia)
    • Nikita Sokolov (Russia/Germany)
    • Alexander Polivanov (Latvia)
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Organizing Committee
  • Boris Belenkin
    Member of "Memorial", coordinator of publishing projects
  • Elena Zhemkova
    Member of "Memorial", Executive Director of Zukunft Memorial
  • Natalia Kolyagina
    Member of "Memorial", coordinator of the dissident programm
  • Irina Scherbakova
    Member of "Memorial", Director, Public Awareness and Education Programs
  • Emilia Koustova
    Member of "Memorial France", Professor, Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Strasbourg
  • Marek Radziwon
    Member of "Memorial Poland", Lecturer, Institute of Eastern Europe, University of Warsaw
  • Aleksander Daniel
    Member of "Memorial", researcher of the history of the dissident movement
  • Nikita Sokolov
    Ph.D. in History, Member of "Memorial", in 2014-22 Chairman of the Free Historical Society
  • Andrea Gullotta
    Ph.D., Chair of the Italian Memorial and Co-Chair of the International Memorial Association, Associate Professor at the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Palermo
  • Sergei Bondarenko
    Member of "Memorial", Dead Souls research group, historian
For any questions you can contact us at
roginsky-conference@memo.ngo
You can support the work of Memorial through
zukunft-memorial.org/support_de