1st Edition
The Holodomor in Politics, Memory and History Cognitive, Interpretive and Explanatory Challenges
Introduction
Concepts and terminology. - Analytical framework and methodology. - Structure of this book. - Acknowledgments
PART I. THE PAST AS PRESENT
Chapter 1. Total recall
The event. - Ban and oblivion. - The emergence of the theme: the Ukrainian diaspora. - The emergence of the Holodomor: Ukraine
Chapter 2. Inventing the tradition
Holodomor: a political legitimation. - Setting up the canon: Yushchenko era. - Revising the canon: Yanukovych’s presidency. - Holodomor after 2014: back to "historical truth." - The Holodomor and the Russian war against Ukraine
Chapter 3. Holodomor: the agency
The Holodomor as an agent of politics. - The Campaign. - Criminalization of denial
Chapter 4. Urbi et orbi
Periodization. - The context: the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and Holodomor. - The debut. - The “World Recognizes” campaign. - The Russian-Ukrainian controversy. - Holodomor International after 2014. – The bitter triumph
PART II. WORDS AND THINGS
Chapter 5. Discourse, symbols, rituals
Intro. - The vocabulary. – Symbols and rituals. – Summary. – The Holodomor and the Other
Chapter 6. Lieux de memoire
Memorial sites, monuments, and museums. - Movies and documentaries. - Textbooks and curricula. - Documentary publications and archival collections
Chapter 7. Social frames
Social contexts. - Actors. - The Holodomor and the power play. - Sociology of Holodomor
Chapter 8. Vivat academia? Vicissitudes of mnemohistory
The context. – Institutional dimension. – Тhe Holodomor as an academic canon. – Western debates. - The Historikerstreit: RU versus UA. - Scholars at risk
Conclusions
Biography
Georgiy Kasianov is Head of the Laboratory of International Memory Studies at the Institute of International Relations, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Poland. Until 2021, he served as Head of the Department of Contemporary History and Politics at the Institute of the History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences. His academic career includes research and teaching appointments at leading institutions such as Harvard and Cambridge Universities, the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., as well as universities in Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Finland, Italy, and Switzerland. Kasianov is the author, co-author, and co-editor of more than twenty books focusing on Ukrainian history from the 19th to the 21st century, the history of ideas, social history, and the politics of memory.
“As both a scholar and an active participant in the debates over memory politics in Ukraine, Georgiy Kasianov offers a unique perspective on the formation of historical narratives and memory regimes in post-communist Eastern Europe. Through his examination of the debates, policies, and commemorative practices surrounding the Holodomor—the man-made famine of 1932–1933 that claimed millions of lives—he illuminates the complex interplay between history, national identity, and memory in a key European country once again fighting for its existence.”
- Serhii Plokhii, Mykhailo S. Hrushevsky Professor, Department of History, Harvard University
“Georgiy Kasianov explains how the interpretations of the Ukraine Famine 1932-33 (Holodomor) have fallen victim to both historical politics and political disputes between Ukraine and Russia. He provides an exhaustive chronicle of the investigations into and historiography of the Famine over a period of more than four decades. The book is particularly notable for the author’s honest and detached approach in demonstrating how a tragedy that is regarded as the defining event of modern Ukrainian identity has been exploited for political purposes.”
- David R. Marples, University of Alberta Distinguished Professor, Canada
“Well-researched, erudite and thorough, Kasianov’s study analyzes the rise of the Holodomor discourse, from its beginnings among Ukrainian diaspora in North America, towards its repatriation in Ukraine, and finally to its canonization as a cornerstone of post-Soviet Ukrainian mythology following the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution. Kasianov’s tour de force is essential reading for anyone interested in memory politics in post-Soviet Ukraine.”
- Per A. Rudling, Associate Professor, Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Department of History, Lund University
