Memory and History in Central Europe

The aim of the seminar is to introduce the images of the national past of the individual Central European nations (Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Romanians, Serbs, and Croats). The course will deal with general theoretical questions of historical theory and historiography, and then examine how the identity-forming influence of national history manifested itself in each era from the Middle Ages to the end of the 20th century. Remembering the past took on different forms in the era of 19th-century nationalism (during the Habsburg Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy), between the two world wars, and during the communist dictatorships that emerged in the region. The manifestations of memory politics in Central Europe (monuments, school education) will also be presented and analyzed.