31202
Seminar
Chernobyl’, Chornobyl’ or Charnobyl’? Cultures and Geographies of its Aftermath
Oberländer Alexandra
Comments
This seminar discusses the geographies of memory of one of the greatest global environmental disasters of the 20th century: the reactor accident at the Soviet nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in 1986. Starting from the observation that the history of Chernobyl is generally told from a national perspective, which only does limited justice to the comprehensive consequences of the accident, this seminar tries to broaden the perspective. While the social, political and ecological consequences, especially for Ukraine, have been very well researched and are also well known to a wider public, the contamination of regions in Belorus and western Russia is often overlooked. The “question of guilt”, i.e. the question of responsibility, is also generally answered in national/colonial categories, despite the global nature of the catastrophe. This seminar aims to analyze this historiographical tradition in more detail. At the same time, it discusses the complex role of literature as a historical source and place of remembrance. This seminar will be reading-intense.
Active participation consists of class discussions and bi-weekly reading responses. The seminar ends with an essay based on interpreting one primary source closely. close
Active participation consists of class discussions and bi-weekly reading responses. The seminar ends with an essay based on interpreting one primary source closely. close
Suggested reading
Serhii Plokhy, Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe (New York, Basic Books, 2018).
Kate Brown, Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future (New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019).
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12 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Mon, 2025-04-14 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-04-28 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-05-05 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-05-12 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-05-19 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-05-26 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-06-02 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-06-16 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-06-23 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-06-30 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-07-07 10:00 - 12:00
Mon, 2025-07-14 10:00 - 12:00