(De)colonizing identity, place and memory

Display Schedule

Code Completion Credits Range Language of instruction Semester
373MDI credit 1 6 hours (45 min) of instruction per semester, 21 to 26 hours of self-study English winter

Subject guarantor

Georgy BAGDASAROV

Name of lecturer(s)

Georgy BAGDASAROV

Department

The subject provides Department of Audiovisual Studies

Contents

The aim of this module is to introduce students to a frequently overlooked strand of postcolonial theory and practice, focusing specifically on the decolonization of Soviet space and contemporary post-Soviet regions. Using the ongoing decolonization of Ukraine as a case study, we will explore the ways in which Soviet colonialism has influenced human thought, traditions, and collective memory, as well as the consequences of this influence.

The module consists of a series of lectures in which academics, artists, and writers address questions and issues related to the (de)colonization of knowledge, identity, and place, as well as the deconstruction of colonial narratives. Each lecture will be followed by time for questions from participants.

Lectures:

Maksym Eristavi – Cultural Appropriation and the Decolonization of Art Institutions

Darja Lukjanenko – The Interconnection Between Identity and Place: The Ukrainian Steppe as a Case Study

Alena Kolesnikova – The Cinematic (De)Colonization of Donbas Through the Lens of Dzyga Vertov

Natascha Drubek – Theoretical Challenges of Decolonizing the Post-Soviet Space

Learning outcomes

The aim is to provide students with an understanding of post-colonial theory as applied to the territories of the Eastern Bloc and the post-Soviet region. Throughout the module, we will examine the issue of cinematic propaganda and focus on the construction of colonial narratives via visual arts. The module will, cultural appropriation, imperial naming practices, and mystification.

Within the module, we will explore decolonization techniques in film and audiovisual art, and discuss the challenges involved in engaging with questions of national identity and collective memory. Students will gain valuable insights into postcolonial theory and practice which will support their own intellectual development and artistic work.

Prerequisites and other requirements

none

Literature

Chioni Moore, David. Is the Post in Postcolonial the Post in Post-Soviet? Notes Toward a Global Postcolonial Critique. 2001.

Dudková, Jana. Slovenský film v ére transkulturality. 2011.

The Empire Within: Why Ukraine’s Decolonization Cannot Be Subcontracted to Edward Said and the Classical Postcolonial Canon. https://syg.ma/@artursumarokov/the-empire-within-why-ukraine-s-decolonization-cannot-be-subcontracted-to-edward-said-and-the-classical-postcolonial-canon

Radynski, Oleksiy. Maidan and Beyond, Part II: The Cacophony of Donbas. 2014. https://www.e-flux.com/journal/56/60331/maidan-and-beyond-part-ii-the-cacophony-of-donbas

Shohat, Ella, and Robert Stam. Unthinking Eurocentrism. 1994.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Credit based on attendance in the course and active participation in discussions

Note

Maksym Eristavi is a Ukrainian journalist, writer, and author of the award-winning publication Russian Colonialism 101, an illustrated guide to Russian colonial crimes. He describes himself as the “chief storyteller of Russian colonialism” and advocates for global awareness of Russia’s colonial legacy.

Darja Lukjanenko is an interdisciplinary artist, Earthling and alien. Her work moves across postcolonial forms of imagination, performance, and text. She treats dreaming as an invitation to action, and engages in post-artistic methods to address structures of power. Since 2025, she is co-leading the Fine Art Studio at FUD UJEP together with Martin Krupa.

Alena Kolesnikova is a multimedia artist. Her work focuses on themes of human connection and the processes of creating stories, as well as creatures. Her theoretical research focuses on digitality, narrative manipulation in the media, and propaganda. Within a postcolonial framework, she explores issues of (post-)Soviet identity and it’s cinematic means of expressions.

Natascha Drubek-Meyer (Drubek) is a researcher, author and editor in the area of Central and East European literature, film and media. She is one of the developers of Hyperkino and editor-in-chief of the open-access academic journal Apparatus. In her academic film researches, Drubek concentrates on film propaganda and mythopoetic figures of early Soviet film. Drubek serves as a member of various film festival juries (Docaviv, KVIFF, Pula).

Schedule for winter semester 2026/2027:

Date Day Time Tutor Location Notes No. of paralel
11.12.2026 14:00–17:30 Georgy BAGDASAROV Room No. 1
Lažanský palác		 lecture parallel1

Schedule for summer semester 2026/2027:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans