Holodomor in Politics, Memory and History

Georgiy Kasianov is Head of the Laboratory of International Memory Studies at the Institute of International Relations, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Poland. Until 2021, he served as Head of the Department of Contemporary History and Politics at the Institute of the History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences. His academic career includes research and teaching appointments at leading institutions such as Harvard and Cambridge Universities, the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., as well as universities in Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Finland, Italy, and Switzerland. Kasianov is the author, co-author, and co-editor of more than twenty books focusing on Ukrainian history from the 19th to the 21st century, the history of ideas, social history, and the politics of memory.

“As both a scholar and an active participant in the debates over memory politics in Ukraine, Georgiy Kasianov offers a unique perspective on the formation of historical narratives and memory regimes in post-communist Eastern Europe. Through his examination of the debates, policies, and commemorative practices surrounding the Holodomor—the man-made famine of 1932–1933 that claimed millions of lives—he illuminates the complex interplay between history, national identity, and memory in a key European country once again fighting for its existence.”- Serhii Plokhii, Mykhailo S. Hrushevsky Professor, Department of History, Harvard University“Georgiy Kasianov explains how the interpretations of the Ukraine Famine 1932-33 (Holodomor) have fallen victim to both historical politics and political disputes between Ukraine and Russia. He provides an exhaustive chronicle of the investigations into and historiography of the Famine over a period of more than four decades. The book is particularly notable for the author’s honest and detached approach in demonstrating how a tragedy that is regarded as the defining event of modern Ukrainian identity has been exploited for political purposes.” - David R. Marples, University of Alberta Distinguished Professor, Canada“Well-researched, erudite and thorough, Kasianov’s study analyzes the rise of the Holodomor discourse, from its beginnings among Ukrainian diaspora in North America, towards its repatriation in Ukraine, and finally to its canonization as a cornerstone of post-Soviet Ukrainian mythology following the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution. Kasianov’s tour de force is essential reading for anyone interested in memory politics in post-Soviet Ukraine.”- Per A. Rudling, Associate Professor, Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Department of History, Lund University

• Preface PART I. THE PAST AS PRESENT Chapter 1. Total recall Chapter 2. Inventing the tradition Chapter 3. Holodomor: the agency Chapter 4. Urbi et orbi PART II. WORDS AND THINGS Chapter 5. Discourse, symbols, rituals Chapter 6. Lieux de memoire Chapter 7. Social frames Chapter 8. Vivat academia? Vicissitudes of mnemohistory Afterword