Contested Narratives and Contested Identities in Today’s Ukraine: Cultural Memory as a Vehicle for Contestations
October 29 @ 11AM CT via Zoom
Description:
Contested narratives and contested identities have recently become a staple expression in Ukraine. The notion of contestation is included in the academic discourses across disciplines to underline various cultural and historical narratives that can compete for the prevalence in the process of constructing narratives to be shared by Ukrainians, with a goal of consolidating and uniting the nation. This notion also illuminates a “war of memories,” the description which Andreas Kappeler mentions when discussing the current Russo-Ukrainian relations. This talk aims to discuss contestations as constructs which arise out of competing political narratives and which are integrated in the cultural memory. Some narratives form and dissolve; others prove to be deep-rooted, long-term, and unremitting. The latter appears to be part of the cultural memory which is transmitted from generation to generation. The beginning of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2014 was marked by the resuscitation of the question which more than 150 years ago was posed to Mykola Hohol by his Russian acquaintances: Are you Russian or Ukrainian? By analyzing how contestations are engrained in and transmitted through cultural memory, this talk contributes to the exploration for possibilities of pluralistic narratives and memories that present political, historical, and cultural complexities, rather than contestations.
Nataliya Shpylova-Saeed is currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures (Indiana University). Her research interests focus on cultural memory, which involves complex relations between Ukraine and Russia. For her dissertation, she examines ethnic contestations which are rooted in and transmitted through texts, including literary works and official documents. Prior to her studies at IU, she received a PhD in Philology, with specialization in American literature (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine). Her academic interests also include American literature, Soviet literary criticism, Soviet-American literary relations.
Zoom information
Topic: CCD Speaker Series - Nataliya Shpylova Saeed
Time: Oct 29, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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https://iu.zoom.us/j/83970601298
Meeting ID: 839 7060 1298