Description
This special issue explores the Kremlin-driven politics of war memories as they unfold in the northernmost parts of Norway and European Russia, two regions that share not only a border but also a long history of interaction. ContentsPart I: Memory Politics in the Russian European NorthPart II: Transborder Memory Politics: Russia and NorwayFeaturing contributions by: Darya Aspøy; Håvard Bækken; Helge Blakkisrud; Stian Bones; Kristian Lundby Gjerde; Elena Kochetkova; Petia Mankova; Joakim Aalmen Markussen; Kari Aga Myklebost; Marianne Neerland Soleim; Artem SpirinOver the past two decades, memory practices related to the Great Patriotic War have assumed an increasingly prominent position in Russian politics and identity-building, both in the domestic sphere and in the realm of foreign policy. Existing scholarship on Russian memory politics tends to concentrate overwhelmingly on the role of the Kremlin, while regional dynamics have received less attention. This special issue explores the Kremlin-driven politics of war memories as they unfold in the northernmost parts of Norway and European Russia, two regions that share not only a border but also a long history of interaction. Across this border, we encounter two distinctly different social, cultural, and political contexts: on the one hand, Norway - a small, relatively homogenous, and stable welfare state; and on the other, Russia - a vast, complex, and increasingly authoritarian and neo-imperialist polity. By examining the construction and contestation of the past in a variety of regional and transborder settings, including museums, media, school curricula, libraries, and commemorative ceremonies, this issue explores the processes of negotiation, conflict, and adaptation among diverse mnemonic actors in the North. The study of memory politics in this context sheds light on broader transformations within Russian politics, which has grown progressively more authoritarian while still remaining dependent on regional and local implementation. The cases discussed here further demonstrate how memory politics in Russia have become increasingly securitized over the past decades.
Kari Aga Myklebost is Professor of Russian History at UiT the Arctic University of Norway and holds the Barents Chair in Russian Studies. Her fields of expertise include 19th to 21st centuries Russian history as well as the history of Norwegian-Russian relations, with a particular focus on the northern regions and the Arctic.
Håvard_Bækken is professor of Russian Area Studies at the Norwegian Defence University College. His recent research focuses on patriotic education and militarized identity policy in Russia_and_he has published numerous articles on this topic. More recently, he has also done research on the situation in the occupied territories of Ukraine, with particular attention to Russia's strategies and practices targeting children. Bækken is also the author of several publications on quasi-legal practices in Russia.
Stian Bones is Professor of Modern History at UiT the Arctic University of Norway. His research focuses on Norwegian foreign and security policy from the Second World War and the Cold War to the present day, with an emphasis on the High North and the Arctic. Norway's relations with Russia, the United States, and its Nordic neighbours are central to his work.
Julie Fedor is Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Melbourne.
Andreas Umland, M.Phil. (Oxford), Dr.Phil. (FU Berlin), Ph.D. (Cambridge), Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, Senior Expert at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future in Kyiv, and Associate Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
