210137 SE M11: Research Practice (2019S)

Since the end of the Cold War, public debates on history and memory have increasingly affected national and European politics. In Eastern Europe in particular, political elites have used historical memory in order to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the post-communist regimes and to demarcate them from their authoritarian predecessors. More recently, however, populist and nationalist politicians have started to pursue an active “politics of history” in order to re-shape national majorities around Eurosceptic narratives. This course offers a research training (Forschungspraktikum) in the field of Memory Studies and is designed for political scientists. It focuses on the countries of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space but is not limited to the region. During the course various approaches, research strategies and methods will be discussed using examples from the newest academic literature. Depending on the number of participants enrolled in the course students will be encouraged to work in small groups (2-3 persons). Methods: introductory input from the lecturer, guest inputs by researchers involved in thematically related projects, discussions in class and excursions. Students will develop a research project (individually or in small groups) and present its results in the end of the semester.