Understanding Ukraine after 2022: New Perspectives on History, Recovery, and Sustainability Interdisciplinary - Workshop

Concept:


The war in Ukraine brought to light various uses and misuses of history, accentuated broader discourses about migration, and facilitated debates about sustainable recovery. In the context of volatile geopolitics, Russia’s obsolete ‘historical’ justifications for its claims to Ukrainian territory continue to persist; at the same time, there is a certain urgency to bridge disciplinary approaches to the understanding of Ukraine while maintaining the right historical lens. This workshop brings together a variety of approaches to the study of Ukraine in the challenging environment of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Notably, the calls to decolonise Ukraine and its history are not new; they date back to the 1960s and, though generally less known, were part and parcel of the global processes of decolonisation. The ongoing war has not only revived these discussions but also impacted government programmes, as well as debates on the aspects of religion and the role of arts and culture in these processes. However, it remains to be seen whether and how decolonisation will become an integral part of the country’s reconstruction and recovery policy.

Equally, displacement and return migration are central issues for understanding Ukraine’s recovery strategy. Drawing on interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, the workshop explores the lived experience of insecurity and altered geopolitical belonging, the methodological complexities of studying displacement and return – including the case of the minority groups – and the factors influencing evolving preferences of displaced persons regarding future perspectives. The discussion highlights the complex interplay between individual agency and structural factors that will shape possible future scenarios.

Challenges and opportunities in rebuilding war-affected Ukrainian society are multifaceted and involve a range of institutions and actors in the multiple levels of government as well as in the broader areas of economy and industry. This is a society that is shaped in many ways by long-term resistance, martial law and the parallel processes of destruction and renovation. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to discuss how they are entangled with the role of entrepreneurship in fostering resilience and economic recovery, the importance of local governance (hromadas) in driving sustainable development, and strategies for a green energy transition.

The workshop is organised by Durham Centre for the Study of Ukraine (CSU) and is a closing event of the project ‘Looking Back to Move Forward: History, Recovery and Sustainability in Understanding the War in Ukraine on a Global Scale’, 2023-2025, generously supported by Durham Institute of Advanced Study and CARA (The Council for At-Risk Academics). It is aimed at scholars of Ukraine as well as all others, from researchers to students interested in a constructive discussion on a sustainable, historically sensitive recovery of Ukraine.

PROGRAMME

To register for the event please go to EventBrite  and sign up for either in person or online tickets. If you are attending online you will have to register for the link at https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/85ae64d1-ffe0-4afc-8cc1-9eea600ee637@7250d88b-4b68-4529-be44-d59a2d8a6f94