The panel explores Russian and Soviet policy toward East-Central Europe through the lens of history and epistemic violence, from the medieval appropriation of the legacy of Kyivan Rus to contemporary Russian politics of history. It focuses on how imperial knowledge, political discourses, and historical narratives have been used to legitimise domination, deny the distinctiveness of Ukraine and other nations, and naturalise Moscow’s claims to political and cultural authority over subordinated territories.
Particular attention is given to the relationship between historical interpretation and power: how official historiography, myths of common origin, civilisational claims, and security doctrines have shaped Russian statecraft across different eras. The panel treats these narratives not simply as reflections of the past but as active instruments of imperial and colonial politics, used to justify both symbolic and material violence.
Bringing together perspectives from Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states, and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, the discussion highlights how Russian historical narratives have been experienced, contested, and resisted across the region. In so doing, it links the politics of history to broader questions of empire, regional order, and the struggle over Europe’s political and epistemic boundaries.
Panel „History as an Instrument of Power and (Epistemic) Violence”