International Conference:
„Russian Imperialism – Memory and History”
Cracow (Poland), 12-13 June 2025
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been waging an open war of aggression against
Ukraine. By calling this war a “military special operation” and clearly denying Ukraine
full sovereignty, Russia seems to be reproducing the framework known from the
heyday of imperialism. In connection with the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, it
is necessary to recall Russia’s imperial traditions and genocidal repressions of the
20th century. Soviet imperialism combined the traditions of Tsarist Russia with
Bolshevism, expanding its reach to half of Europe. This was accompanied by brutal
terror and extermination of local populations opposed to Soviet power.
Contemporary Russian imperialism undermines the very foundations of sovereignty
and territorial integrity of the states of our region.
This conference will examine the retreat from the imperialist template as an
opportunity to critically analyze Russia’s policies in the post-Soviet space.
Participants will discuss Russia’s past and present attempts to (re)establish
dominance and control in the post-Soviet sphere. In this way, Russian practices will
also be compared and contrasted with the general features of “imperialist”
international policy. The conference will focus on Russia’s past and present
attempts to (re)establish dominance and control in the post-Soviet sphere, with
special emphasis on:
1. The historical evolution of the Russian and Soviet empires and the development of
Russian imperial thought and ideology;
2. History as a tool of contemporary, expansionist actions of (modern) Russia;
3. History and memory as a source of attitudes of societies of countries subjected to
Russian attack or pressure and an instrument of these countries’ policy towards
Moscow.
Guidelines for authors and important dates
You are kindly requested to send in abstracts up to 300 words in English as well as a
short biographical sketch (not more than 100 words). Submission should include up
to 5 appropriate and short keywords that capture the principal topics of the paper.
The Programme Council of the conference reserves the right to select the papers
according to the conference concept. Article files should be provided in Microsoft
Word format or as a PDF of the document. Text in final version should not exceed 40
thousand characters including spaces. All references in your manuscript must be
formatted using The Chicago Manual of Style.
Submission should be made via the conference website:
https://historyconflicts.uken.krakow.pl/call-for-papers-and-submission/submission/
Final version of the text and other correspondence concerning the conference
should be sent to: history_conflicts@up.krakow.pl
Please, remember the following important dates:
· Abstract Submission Deadline: April 14, 2025 (inclusive)
· Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: May 5, 2025 (inclusive)
· Presentation files: video or presentation slides deadline: June 10, 2025 (inclusive)
· Conference: June 12-13, 2025.
· Final Paper Submission Deadline: September 30, 2025(inclusive)
Participation in the conference:
The conference organizers do not charge any participation fees. The conference
organisers will provide accommodation and catering as well as the opportunity to
participate in activities connected with the conference. The conference organisers
do not, however, cover travel costs for conference participants. Conference
proceedings will be published in 2026.
Conference Committee
Honorary Patronage:
Professor Piotr Borek, Ph.D., Rector of the University of the National Education
Commission, Krakow
Convenors:
Professor Jan Rydel, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
Prof. Zheng Wang, Seton Hall University (To be confirmed)
Professor Stefan Troebst, Dr. phil. habil., Research Centre Global Dynamics
(ReCentGlobe), University of Leipzig
Professor Andrzej Nowak, Jagiellonian University in Krakow
Łukasz Kamiński, Ph.D., University of Wrocław, the President of the Paweł
Włodkowic Institute
Members:
Professor Michał Rogoż, Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Research of the University of the
National Education Commission, Krakow
Professor Roman Kochnowski, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the
University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
Professor Krzysztof Gurba, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Journalism and
International Relations of the University of the National Education Commission,
Krakow
Antje Zettler, Managing Director of the Research Centre Global Dynamics
(ReCentGlobe), University of Leipzig
Rafał Rogulski, Director of Institute of European Network Remembrance and the
Solidarity, Warsaw
Conference Secretariat
Przemysław Łukasik, Ph.D., University of the National Education Commission,
Krakow
Main organiser:
University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
Partner institutions:
Research Centre Global Dynamics (ReCentGlobe), University of Leipzig
Institute of European Network Remembrance and the Solidarity, Warsaw
Paweł Włodkowic Institute, Wrocław
Polish-German Science Fund
Comparative Research Team on Imperialism, Polish Academy of Sciences
Funding:
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Poland