How have wars shaped the cultural, political, and literary landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe? This seminar examines the interconnections of war, empire, and identity in the Slavic world, tracing narratives from the 19th century to the ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine. Drawing on literary works, historiography, cultural theory, and contemporary scholarship, we will examine how war functions as both a destructive and generative force in the region’s history.
The course begins with methodological reflections on cultural studies approaches and introduces students to cutting-edge theories of war (McFate, Winter, Mann). We then proceed chronologically and thematically: from Pushkin’s “Poltava” and Shevchenko’s “Kateryna” to Gogol’s “Taras Bulba” and Bulgakov’s “The White Guard”, highlighting how empire and violence are aestheticized and contested in literature. Russian imperial myths (The Scythians, Homeland) will be juxtaposed with ideological constructions such as the ”Yellow Peril,” while Tolstoy’s “Sevastopol Stories” and Babel’s “Red Cavalry” open a debate on pacifism, shell shock, and the role of the writer in wartime. The seminar also addresses modern receptions and re-imaginings: from Soviet and post-Soviet gendered perspectives (Svetlana Alexievich) to war’s presence in popular culture (the Finnish metal band Turisas), and finally to contemporary Ukrainian literature (Serhij Zhadan). A special focus is placed on the cultural and theoretical interpretations of the Russian war against Ukraine since 2022, situating current events within broader historical and cultural continuities.
Students will engage with primary texts alongside critical scholarship, learning to interpret war not only as a political and military phenomenon but also as a cultural narrative, a myth, and a shaping force of collective memory. The seminar is designed for Master's students of War Studies, Slavic literatures and cultures, history, political science, and related disciplines who are interested in the intersections of text, power, and violence. All texts will be provided in English translations.
Sean McFate: The New Rules of War. Victory in the Age of Durable Disorder. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2019.
John Keegan: A History of Warfare. New York: Random House, 1994.
Michael Mann: On Wars. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2023.
Jay M. Winter: Remembering War. The Great War between Memory and History in the 20th Century. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2006.
(This seminar is also offered in the Master's program "War Studies")
Presentation (and, if applicable, a module paper).
