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CONFERENCE
The Commission of the Historians of Latvia, The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia,
The State Archive of Latvia,
Goethe-Institut Riga
27–28 October 2009
at the Goethe-Institut Riga
OCCUPATION, COLLABORATION, RESISTANCE:
HISTORY AND PERCEPTION
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain
and the political developments in Europe after
1991, new issues have surfaced concerning the historical memory of National
Socialism and Communism, which predominantly influenced the twentieth century.
Today, three different forms of historical memory regarding World War II and
its consequences compete with each other: National Socialist occupation and the
Holocaust pre-dominate in Western memory; the myth of liberation and victory – in
the Russian one; and the suffering inflicted by two totalitarian regimes shapes
the memory of the people of Eastern Europe. These
divergent memories not only reflect different experiences of war and
dictatorship, but are also a result of suppressed national memory cultures by the
Communist rulers. Whereas the perception of occupation, collaboration and
resistance in Western Europe has undergone an immense change during the last 60
years of research and discourse, in Eastern Europe, and in Latvia as well,
it has only been possible to openly articulate the experience of a dual
dictatorship since 1991. This experience is still denied by official Russian
policy, and it is by no means yet accepted as an evident part of twentieth-century
European history in Western Europe.
There will always be different
ways of remembering historical experiences. But it is important to prevent them
from being exploited and used to spread new political disagreements and
conflicts among nations. Therefore, a fundamental willingness to enter a broad multilateral
dialogue is needed, as well as an honest desire to understand and to respect
the historical memories of others.
During
the conference, historians from Belgium,
France, Poland, Ukraine,
Estonia, Latvia, Germany
and Russia
will compare and contrast the impact and the consequences of German and Soviet
occupations – collaboration and resistance – based on their particular
perceptions of history. Of major interest will be the definition of terms, the
discussion of methodological approaches, as well as the comparison of
historical perceptions.
Conference languages are Latvian and English. A
simultaneous translation will be provided.
FIRST DAY,
27 October
9.00 Opening of Conference and Keynote Address
Opening of
the Conference: Andris Caune, Chair, The Commission of the Historians of Latvia
Address by
Valdis Zatlers, President of the Republic
of Latvia
Introductory
remarks: Valters Nollendorfs (Riga)
Hans Lemberg (Marburg)
"Collaboration as Short-Term and Long-Term Phenomenon"
10.00 First Session: History, Politics, Culture of
Remembrance
Moderator:
Antonijs Zunda
10.00 Peter Steinbach (Mannheim): "Resolving the Past: a
Challenge for Post-dictatorial Societies"
10.35 Commentary: Daina Bleiere (Riga)
10.45 Discussion: historians and audience
11.15 Coffee
Break
11.45 Boris Dubin (Moscow): "Memory as a State Event"
12.20 Commentary: Aleksandrs Ivanovs (Daugavpils)
12.30 Discussion: historians and audience
13.00 Lunch Break
14.30 Second Session: Occupation, Collaboration and
Resistance in Western Europe
Moderator:
Ulrich Everding (Riga)
14.30 Olivier Wieviorka (Paris):
"Occupation: History and Perception in France"
15.05 Commentary: Uldis Neiburgs (Riga)
15.15 Discussion: historians and audience
15.45 Coffee
Break
16.15 Pieter Lagrou (Brussels):
"Occupation: History and Perception in Belgium
and the Netherlands"
16.50 Commentary Danute Dūra (Riga)
17.00 Discussion: historians and audience
SECOND
DAY, 28 October
9.00 Third Session: Occupation, Collaboration and
Resistance in Eastern Europe
Moderator:
Daina Kļaviņa (Riga)
9.00 Yurii
Shapoval (Kiev): "How to 'Nationalize' the
Soviet Period in the History of Ukraine?"
9.35 Commentary: Aivars Stranga (Riga)
9.45 Discussion: historians and audience
10.15 Coffee Break
10.45 Piotr Madajczyk (Warsaw):"Occupation:
History and Perception in Poland"
11.20 Commentary: Kaspars Zellis
(Riga)
11.30 Discussion: historians and audience
12.00
Lunch Break
13.30
Fourth Session: Occupation, Collaboration and Resistance in the Baltic
Moderator:
John Hiden (Bradford)
13.30 Toomas Hiio
(Tartu): “Occupation: History and Perception in Estonia”
14.05 Commentary:
Ritvars Jansons (Riga)
14.15 Discussion: historians and audience
14.45 Coffee-Break
15.15 Inesis
Feldmanis (Riga): “Occupation, Collaboration and Resistance in Latvia”
15.50 Commentary: Eva-Clarita Onken-Pettai (Lüneburg)
16.00 Discussion: historians and audience
16.30
Evaluation, General Discussion
Moderator: Erwin
Oberländer (Mainz)
Discussion: historians
and audience
Financial sponsors
and supporters of the conference: Goethe-Institut Riga; The Museum of the Occupation of
Latvia; The State Archive of Latvia; Latvijas
Gāze; Marga und Kurt Möllgaard-Stiftung (Essen)
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