On December 11, 2024, the E.M. Primakov Center hosted a round table discussion on “Memory of Civil Wars: Experiences and Approaches of Different Countries.” The event was organized in collaboration with the Council of Young Scientists of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the XI Annual International Scientific Conference of Young Scientists “Current Problems of World Politics.”
Vitaly Roshchupkin, Director of the Regional Center for the Development of Public Diplomacy and International Relations named after Primakov, and Olga Timakova, Chairman of the Council of Young Scientists of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered welcoming remarks to the round table participants.
The event was moderated by Yulia Zherdeva, Associate Professor of Samara University, PhD in History.
The participants of the round table included students from Samara University (Konstantin Dunavetsky, Alina Mironova, Denis Zhidkov), the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Maria Pismennaya, Anton Vilchinsky, Anastasia Sukhoverova, Fedor Danilov), Siberian Federal University (Oleg Kashkarev) and Far Eastern Federal University (Vladimir Mikhalev).
Memory politics is not just about studying the past, but actively shaping and using it in the present. We choose which events to remember, how to interpret them, and whom to pay tribute to. It is a struggle for narratives, for how we understand ourselves and our place in the world.
Examples of memory politics are visible everywhere: from disputes over the demolition of monuments to discussions about the teaching of history in schools. Each country, each nation forms its collective memory, choosing what to emphasize and what to keep silent about. This affects national identity, political stability, and even international relations.
