Workshop on “Transnational and Marginalised Perspectives on World War II” in Berlin
On the 8th of May 2025, Europe marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The discussion will interrogate the diverse ways in which war memory is deployed across political and cultural contexts, in order to explore how historical narratives are constructed, contested, and mobilised.
The particular focus is on the marginalised voices that have long been sidelined in mainstream memory politics. In today’s highly politicised landscape, the legacy of World War II continues to shape national narratives and fuel contemporary debates. In Putin’s Russia, Victory Day is celebrated in a manner that reinforces state-sanctioned historical accounts and serves as a rallying point for aggressive militarism. At the same time, the ongoing war against Ukraine has added new layers to these memory discourses, prompting fresh reflections within Ukraine and beyond. This event will therefore not only examine the impact of these narratives within a Ukrainian context, but also situates them within broader European and transnational debates. It is part of an ongoing effort by the Young Network TransEurope (YNT) to encourage a richer, more inclusive conversation about the legacy of World War II and its continued influence on contemporary societies.
With Viktoria Sereda (Forum Transregionale Studien), Sebastian Willert (Young Network TransEurope YNT / Dubnow Institut), Sanja Bauer Mikulovic (Die Junge Akademie / Leibniz-Institut für Neurobiologie); moderated by Jana Mende and Oleksandr Zabirko (YNT).