Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CEERES) – Master’s Theses

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10062/66593

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As above, so below: communicating foundational myths through monuments. A comparative study of Piłsudski Square (Warsaw) and Independence Square (Kyiv)
(Tartu Ülikool, 2021) Ukhov, Sergei; Kowalski, Krzysztof, juhendaja; Pääbo, Heiko, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Between 2014 and 2015, Ukraine and Poland experienced drastic political reconfigurations, when the former saw the Revolution of Dignity conducted by grassroots groups, and the latter saw the electoral triumph of the conservative party Law and Justice. The two new powers, contrasting in their nature and goals, almost immediately began to perpetuate political myths that legitimised their rule through various tools of politics of memory, which was etched into the urban cultural landscape of Kyiv and Warsaw, not exclusively, by means of the erection of new monuments. This study explores the discourses communicated by monuments originating on the opposing sides of power relations in order to disclose to what extent the messages that the monuments convey are similar. To do so, the research applies the Social Semiotics approach from Critical Discourse Analysis to the analysis of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes commemoration site located in Independence Square in Kyiv, and the monuments dedicated to Lech Kaczyński and the victims of the Smolensk Air Crash of 10 April 2010 located in Piłsudski Square in Warsaw. The results have shown a high degree of resemblance in the discourses communicated by monuments through various semiotic modes, the main one being the sacredness of what constitutes the power holders’ foundational myth. Other discourses, including grievance and martyrdom, despite the fact that they both belong to the religious domain, demonstrate diverging traits. However, put together these discourses perfectly blend into the common canvas of new post-Communist mythologies regardless of the status of the political agents who are in charge of the creation of those foundational myths.
Collective memory and memorialization in depictions of Soviet female combatants in Soviet and post-Soviet contexts
(Tartu Ülikool, 2020) Bawgus, Jessica; Sofronova, Julia, juhendaja; Kay, Rebecca, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the fall of communism in Poland – a fractured memory regime
(Tartu Ülikool, 2020) Nikko, Juho; Kowalski, Krzysztof, juhendaja; Pääbo, Heiko, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The dissertation examines the 2019 commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the fall of state socialism in Poland, seeking answers to how and why different political actors commemorated the events in the way they did. The commemorations are studied through Michael Bernhard and Jan Kubik’s theory of the politics of memory (2014), according to which political actors adopt different mnemonic actor roles (abnegator, pluralist, warrior, prospective) that in turn determine the memory regime of a commemorative event (unified, pillarised, fractured). The data consists of 29 speeches and texts drawn from thirteen events clustered around the Roundtable Talks and the beginning of June. The speeches are analysed with qualitative content analysis primarily from video recordings. The dissertation updates Bernhard and Kubik’s analysis of the same topic from ten years ago. In 2019, the memory regime pertaining to the events of 1989 remained fractured, with the governing Law and Justice party (PiS) celebrating separately from the opposition. PiS initially attempted to abnegate the commemorations of the Roundtable Talks and the first semi-free elections of 4 June 1989 by not organising major state-endorsed celebrations. In the end, the opposition organised an 11- day celebration in Gdańsk together with local governments, whereas PiS opted for small-scale celebrations in the form of a special sitting of the Senate. Both sides featured mnemonic warriors who rallied around three major narratives. The opposition presented itself as the inheritor of the Solidarity movement and accused PiS of trying to negate this legacy. PiS presented itself as the inheritor of Pope John Paul II and focused on commemorating the 40th anniversary of his first pilgrimage to Poland, presenting this as the beginning of the Solidarity movement. Second, PiS emphasised the dissolution of the first democratically elected government of Jan Olszewski on 4 June 1992 and associated the opposition with the ‘post-communist’ system this allegedly created. Notable mnemonic pluralists included former president Aleksander Kwaśniewski and current president Andrzej Duda (PiS). A comparison with the commemorations of 2009 suggests that being in the opposition prompted the old governing party Civic Platform (PO) to adopt a mnemonic warrior position – a notable change from their earlier pluralist and abnegator stance. In addition, the opposition used the commemorations to kickstart their campaign to the autumn parliamentary elections. Both sides used memory layering – the combining of different memory regimes – as a central strategy. The divided commemorations give no reason to believe that the polarisation of Polish society is going to diminish. On the other hand, the political usefulness of mnemonic conflict about 1989 seems to be receding, with the ideological battle between a liberal and conservative vision of Poland being fought on other fronts.
The influence of a minister: Turanism in the Hungarian government
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Watanabe, Naoki; Pääbo, Heiko, juhendaja; Dúró, József, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The ideology of Hungarian Turanism, which insists on a connection between the Hungarian nation and the nations of the formerly accepted Ural-Altaic language family, has in recent years experienced a revival, to the extent that the Hungarian government itself has shifted its views on the ideology. This leads one to wonder why and how the government's policy has changed. In order to answer this question, one must consider a variety of factors including memory politics, ethnosymbolism, the relevance of Turanism in Hungarian history, and the role played by the Hungarian Minister of Human Resources, Miklós Kásler. Kásler insists that Hungarian being Uralic is more of a linguistic statement than a genetic one, which leads to the question of how national identity changes based on the label given to an ethnicity on the basis of genetics or linguistics. In this thesis I analyze interviews with Kásler in connection to the aforementioned factors to answer the question of how and why Hungarian government policy in relation to Turanism has changed. One of the major findings from this thesis was the level of influence Kásler possesses and how this decisively gave him the political clout to promote a revival of Turanism through his own institute. This indicates conclude that the current political climate in Hungary allowed for an environment that gave him such influence.
Memory politics in Poland under the Law and Justice Party (PiS): constructing narratives of heroism and victimhood using a case study of three Polish museums
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Zhu, Qiwen; Piekarska-Duraj, Łucja, juhendaja; McManus, Clare, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines how and why Poland’s current ruling party, the Law and Justice (PiS), implements its memory politics in the following three memorial museums: the Warsaw Uprising Museum, the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II, and the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, based on theories of collective memory and populism. Core elements of PiS’s memory politics such as martyrdom romanticism, Christian loyalty, conservative values and patriotism, and PiS’s populist discourse emphasizing the moralistic dichotomy of the good we and bad others are reflected in these museums. There are two common narrative paradigms of these museums. First, Poles are innocent victims who suffered from Nazism and Soviet totalitarianism. Second, Poles are heroes fighting for the freedom of Poland and Europe. By constructing narratives of victimhood and heroism, PiS tries to not only rejuvenate patriotic pride and solidify the national identity based on Christian allegiance, martyrdom and heroism, but alleviate Poland’s inferiority complex resulting from always being marginalized in Europe and gain more autonomy from Brussels. These narratives are one - dimensional and don’t invite critical reflections, which poses a question about the justification of political power’s instrumentalization of history.
Politics of history on the screen: unveiling the continuity of myths in Polish state-endorsed cinema
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Harmash, Anna; Piekarska-Duraj, Łucja, juhendaja; Gibson, Catherine, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines cinematic portrayals of the Warsaw Uprising in historical fiction films endorsed by two ideologically divergent regimes: the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR) and the Law and Justice Party (PiS). Both regimes advanced conflicting memory of Polish history, tailoring the discourses to align with their respective ideological agendas by focalizing or silencing some pages of history. However, through a comparative analysis of films endorsed by the regimes, this thesis argues that the PZPR and PiS followed the same template in constructing their memory narratives that framed Poland as a nation of exceptional heroism and martyrdom, and justified an uncritical approach to politics of history. This thesis analyzes cinematic narratives presented in films about the Warsaw Uprising—a traumatic historical event that was marked by “blank spots” in the official memory during the People’s Republic of Poland but became an widely commemorated and glorified event, emblematic of Polish collective identity under PiS-led politics of history. A cinematic discourse analysis of six state-endorsed productions (five feature films and one episode from a popular television series released between the 1950s-1970s and the 2010s) was conducted to identify, decode, and interpret memory narratives and depictions of heroism using elements of the dominant Polish myth. The interpretation of the cinematic renderings of the Uprising relied on concepts of collective identity, national myths and schematic narrative templates, and considered the ideological, social and political contexts in which the films were produced. The research demonstrates that, while introducing some critical reflections and “remembering” the Uprising differently, the state-enforsed films produced under both regimes build their narratives on the dominant myth of Poland being “Christ Among Nations”. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to understand why seemingly ideologically divergent political regimes deploy similar narrative strategies.
Remembering conflict: the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 in Georgian museums
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Hermens, Merijn; Reisner, Oliver, juhendaja; Pääbo, Heiko, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 is an understudied topic within Memory Studies in Anglophone academic literature. However, considering the War's significant role in shaping Georgia's socio-political landscape and identity, the omission is puzzling. This thesis addresses this gap, by examining how the war is commemorated in museums. Through the theoretical lenses of Memory Formats and Critical Museology, three case studies were analysed: the Museum of Occupation in Kaspi, the 2008 War Museum in Ergneti (both privately-funded), and the Museum of Battle Glory in Gori (state-funded). Using Thematic Analysis for interviews with museum staff and the Winterthur Model for artefact analysis, this research aimed to answer the following research question: How is the Russo- Georgian War of 2008 remembered in Georgian museums and why? The findings suggest that the remembrance of the Russo-Georgian War revolves around three main themes: (1) Personalised Victimisation, driven by individual and social memories to pass on these experiences to future generations. (2) Historical Analogies, emphasising Georgia's ongoing struggle for sovereignty and reinforcing national identity through a collective national consciousness. (3) Russia as the Aggressor, highlighting the role of Russia as the villain, while silencing the roles of separatists and Georgia in the conflict to protect a positive self-image. Moreover, financial constraints and a lack of professional display policies also influence how the war is remembered, leading to somewhat fragmented and unnuanced exhibitions. Notably, Personalised Victimisation is present in all museums, whereas Historical Analogies and Russia as the Aggressor are absent in the state-funded museum. The divergence reflects broader societal-political contrasts in Georgia, particularly since the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Georgian society supports Ukraine and condemns Russia, whereas the ruling Georgian Dream party has shifted from a policy of normalisation with Russia towards a more pro-Russian orientation. Grassroots initiatives to commemorate the war, contrasted with the Georgian Dream's minimal efforts in this area, shows a strong societal desire to remember the conflict. A desire which is not shared by the officials, indicating a lack of interest or willingness to engage in the politics of memory.
Unshared memory: an analysis of Israeli discourse on Polish nationalization of history 2018-2023
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Habash, Faiq; Gawlas-Zajączkowska, Agnieszka, juhendaja; Unkovski-Korica, Vladimir, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The Polish-Israeli Crisis of 2018, stemming from amendments to Poland's 'Act on the Institute of National Remembrance,' became a focal point for historical memory and Holocaust-related discourse, resulting in a diplomatic rift with Israel. This dissertation addresses two notable gaps in existing research by comprehensively analyzing how four major Israeli Hebrew-language newspapers—Yisrael HaYom, Yedioth Ahronoth, Ha'aretz, and Ma'ariv—portrayed the Crisis from 2018 to 2023. Existing research has predominantly focused on analyzing official communications, deals, memorandums, speeches, and statements by political authorities involved in the crisis and has conducted limited analysis of communications for the public. The limited prior studies have explored how right-wing newspapers in Israel and Poland reported on the Crisis, leaving a gap in the literature concerning newspapers with different political leanings. Representing a diverse political spectrum and catering to varying public audiences, these newspapers offer a nuanced understanding of how media coverage portrays and communicates events to the Israeli public. The theoretical relevance of this study lies in its twofold approach. Firstly, it provides insights into the synchronic communications accessible to the public as events unfolded. Secondly, it explores how newspapers, as agents in shaping and reflecting public discourse, frame events and influence public perceptions. The research employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) through the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) to analyze newspaper coverage, considering the sociopolitical and historical context of the Crisis. The study addresses the primary research question: How do major Israeli newspapers portray the Polish-Israeli Crisis? It addresses the research subquestions: What frames are used to present the Crisis? What is open or closed to dialogue concerning shared histories? How are remembrance, Crisis, and international relations presented in relation to each other?
Weaponized memeing: the online invocation of contested memory about WWII in the Russia-Ukraine War
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Ostiller, Nathaniel; Cheskin, Ammon, juhendaja; Osypchuk, Anna, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut

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