Poles – Ukrainians: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends? Conflicts, Memory, Reconciliation 3700-AL-PUENF-OG

This course offers students a comprehensive exploration of the historical and contemporary dynamics between Poland and Ukraine, with a particular focus on the evolving context of Russian aggression. We will examine how Poles and Ukrainians today interpret the most difficult chapters of their shared history, and explore the deeper reasons behind the differences in their historical perspectives.
A key part of the course will focus on the origins and evolution of mutual stereotypes between the two nations, analyzing how these perceptions have changed over recent decades. Special attention will be given to the sensitive topic of the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, investigating how this history is approached by Polish and Ukrainian historians, and how the memory of these events continues to influence national identities and political discourses in both countries.
We will delve into the controversies surrounding national heroes in Poland and Ukraine, uncovering how historical myths are constructed and contested, and how these narratives affect contemporary relations. The course will also critically assess Ukraine’s process of decommunization, exploring its impact on memory policy and its broader implications for Polish-Ukrainian relations.
Beyond official histories, we will consider how ordinary citizens perceive each other today, and the role political and cultural elites play in promoting (or hindering) reconciliation. We will explore how history education differs in Poland and Ukraine, paying attention to the narratives promoted in schools, media, and public spaces.
Another important theme will be the influence of major historical and political events — such as the Orange Revolution, Euromaidan, and ongoing Russian aggression — on historical debates and national memory. We will investigate how these events have shifted perceptions, either deepening historical divides or opening new opportunities for dialogue.
Throughout the course, we will also reflect on the differences between nationalism and patriotism in both countries, and how these concepts shape contemporary identity and international relations.
Students will be encouraged to engage in independent research, selecting topics of personal interest related to Polish-Ukrainian relations, and developing their own critical perspectives through interdisciplinary approaches.
By the end of the course, participants will have gained a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between history, memory, politics, and identity in shaping Polish-Ukrainian relations — and the possibilities for reconciliation and partnership in a rapidly changing world.

Rodzaj przedmiotu

ogólnouniwersyteckie

Założenia (opisowo)

Znajomość języka angielskiego na poziomie B2

Koordynatorzy przedmiotu

Oleksandra Iwaniuk

Efekty kształcenia

- student demonstrates broad knowledge of key debates, controversies, and historical narratives shaping Polish-Ukrainian relations (K_W01)
- understands the dynamic relation between cultural and political processes between Poland and Ukraine and social transformations (K_W10)
- is willing to further develop their academic skills to date with the latest developments in Polish-Ukrainian relations and practices (K_K02)
- respects the cultural heritage of both communities (K_K06)
- respect the cultural diversity of both communities (K_K07)
- student critically engages with major texts by leading historians, public intellectuals, and opinion leaders from both Poland and Ukraine on the subject of shared history and contemporary relations. (K_U01)
- student understands and evaluates reconciliation policies, recognizing both opportunities and challenges through various historical and contemporary examples (K_U02)
- student analyzes public, political, and academic discourses related to Polish-Ukrainian relations and memory politics, and formulates and present well-argued independent opinions (K_W06)

Kryteria oceniania

Final grade depends on:
- Attendance
- Active participation
- Presentation

Literatura

Reconciliation through Difficult Remembrance. Volhynia 1943, Stowarzyszenie „Panorama kultur”, 2013.

Andriy Portnov, Poland and Ukraine. Entagled Histories, Assymetric Memories, 2020.

Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Intellectuals in English, 2019.

Paweł Kowal „Testament Prometeusza. Źródła polityki wschodniej III Rzeczypospolitej” (2018)

Jerzy Giedroyc “Autobiography for Four Hands”

Andrii Portnov, Bandera. An Invitation to a Calmer Conversation.

Ann Appelbaum, Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine, 2017.

Timothy Snyder, The Blood Lands (2010)

Andrzej Turkowski, Facts and Myths of Polish Eastern Policy During the Breakthrough Period

Tetiana Zhurzhenko, The border as pain and remedy:
commemorating the Polish–Ukrainian
conflict of 1918–1919 in Lviv and
Przemyśl.

Bohdan Budurowycz, Poland and the Ukrainian Problem in Interwar Poland.

Yaroslav Hrycak, Ivan Franko and His Community (2018)

Olesya Yaremchuk, Our Others: Stories of Ukrainian Diversity (2021)

Kateryna Zarembo, Ukrainian Sunrise: Stories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions from the Early 2000s (Ukrainian Studies) (2024)

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