The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 not only severely shook the world-order that had emerged after 1989-1991, but equally re-established the image of Russia as the existential foe of Europe/the West. However, it is Russia itself that most vehemently propagates this image as justification for its behaviour, whereas the war goals in Ukraine remain undefined. The same applies to Russia itself: instead of projecting a future for the nation, it relies on models from the past to justify the reigning regime and its politics. In this lecture, I want to explore the origins of the Europe-Russia / East-West dichotomy, how this transpired in 19th and 20th century Russian history, and how a selective reading of the past prepared the ground for the present war.
Wim Coudenys is associate professor of Russian and European history at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven). He specializes in the fields of Russian historiography, the Russian emigration and Belgian-Russian relations. His latest books include a biography of the Russian military attaché to Belgium during World War I (2017), a history of the Russian emigration in Belgium (2019) and Fallen Far from the Fatherland. Russian Victims of the First World War in Belgium (2022). He currently runs projects on the preservation of cultural heritage in the Russian emigration, and on the relationship between Orthodox and Catholics in the Russian emigration. https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/english/our-staff/zap/wimcoudenys
This lecture will be given in English, but you can ask your questions in German or Russian.
Wim Coudenys (MLS)
Russia, a country with a future… or a past?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 not only severely shook the world-order that had emerged after 1989-1991, but equally re-established the image of Russia as the existential foe of Europe/the West. However, it is Russia itself that most vehemently propagates this image as justification for its behaviour, whereas the war goals in Ukraine remain undefined. The same applies to Russia itself: instead of projecting a future for the nation, it relies on models from the past to justify the reigning regime and its politics. In this lecture, I want to explore the origins of the Europe-Russia / East-West dichotomy, how this transpired in 19th and 20th century Russian history, and how a selective reading of the past prepared the ground for the present war.
Wim Coudenys is associate professor of Russian and European history at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven). He specializes in the fields of Russian historiography, the Russian emigration and Belgian-Russian relations. His latest books include a biography of the Russian military attaché to Belgium during World War I (2017), a history of the Russian emigration in Belgium (2019) and Fallen Far from the Fatherland. Russian Victims of the First World War in Belgium (2022). He currently runs projects on the preservation of cultural heritage in the Russian emigration, and on the relationship between Orthodox and Catholics in the Russian emigration.
https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/english/our-staff/zap/wimcoudenys
This lecture will be given in English, but you can ask your questions in German or Russian.
Details
Venue
Organizer