Ukrainian history: rethinking its place in world history

The Centre de Recherches Europes-Eurasie-CREE (Inalco) and the Ukrainian Institute in France, in partnership with Gallimard and with the support of the Ukrainian Embassy in France and Le Grand Continent magazine, are pleased to invite you to a conference entitled: "History of Ukraine: rethinking its place in world history".
Photo d'un homme en veste et chemise blanche avec en arrière plan un mur bleu
Portrait photo de Timothy Snyder © Jiri Zerzon‎

Speakers

  • Timothy Snyder, historian, specialist in Central Europe and the Holocaust, professor at Yale University (Connecticut) and researcher at the Institute for the Humanities in Vienna (Austria). Among his landmark works translated into French and published by Gallimard are Terres de sang. Europe between Hitler and Stalin (2012), Terre noire. The Holocaust and why it may happen again (2016), La Reconstruction des nations (2017), La Route pour la servitude. Russia-Europe-America(2023) and De la liberté (2024).

In discussion with:

  • Étienne Boisserie, professor of modern and contemporary history of Central Europe (CREE, Inalco).
  • Iryna Dmytrychyn, historian, specialist in Ukraine, lecturer (CREE, Inalco).

Description of the scientific event

Long reduced to a mere fragment of imperial narratives, the history of Ukraine deserves an in-depth reassessment. The Ukrainian History Global Initiative, launched by Timothy Snyder, proposes to rethink not only Ukraine's place in world history, but also the methodologies used to write it.

Ukrainian history sheds light on universal themes such as colonization, migration and the construction of modern identity. Timothy Snyder invites us to go beyond simplifications by adopting a rigorous and pluralist approach, favoring exploration and intellectual curiosity.

A central question emerges from this reflection: how can history be written in times of war without falling into the traps of propaganda? "War pushes us to reflect on the past," Timothy Snyder points out. In the case of Ukraine, this work of memory offers a unique opportunity: to go beyond imperial and Soviet models to construct a more human and nuanced narrative.

This conference proposes to revisit Ukraine's role in global historical narratives while opening up new perspectives on how to write history in the face of contemporary challenges.

The conference will be held in English and will be followed by a book signing. It will also be streamed live on our YouTube channel via this linkhere.

The event is sold out.

Organizer
Contact

etudes-ukrainiennes@outlook.fr