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Decolonisation: Daria Mattingly on the Holodomor and Ukraine’s erased identity

The guest of the sixth episode of Decolonisation is Daria Mattingly, an Affiliated Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and a Lecturer in Contemporary International History in Chichester. As an expert on the social and cultural history of the USSR,...

How the USSR banned Christmas celebrations

Religion was referred to as the “opium of the people” by the Soviet authorities, along with religious holidays and their associated customs. All Christmas traditions were not only abolished but replaced with artificially invented ones. For example, authentic carols were...

Decolonisation: Uilleam Blacker on how colonial legacy have shaped Ukrainian literature

In this episode, the Decolonisation series hosts Uilleam Blacker, a renowned scholar of Ukrainian literature and one of the most prominent contemporary translators of Ukrainian literary works into English. In the interview, Dr Blacker reveals how colonial influences have shaped...

How the Russian Empire and the USSR affected winemaking and horticulture in Ukraine

For centuries, homegrown plants and fruits sustained generations of Ukrainians. The cultivation of different varieties of grapes led to the development of winemaking in the region, with products that had the potential to spread far beyond the country’s borders. However,...

Decolonisation: Timothy Garton Ash on rethinking the history of Europe

This episode of the Decolonisation series features Timothy Garton Ash, a distinguished British historian, author, and commentator renowned for his extensive work on modern European history, particularly in relation to post-communist Europe.

Ukraine Through the Eyes of Mark Laity

This episode of Ukraine Through the Eyes of Others features Mark Laity, NATO’s former leading expert on strategic communications and retired communications director at SHAPE, the alliance’s main military headquarters. With over twenty years of experience as a BBC journalist,...

How Ukraine has changed in 10 years of war

For many Ukrainians, 2014 marked a pivotal moment that set in motion rapid changes in both their country and their lives. The Revolution of Dignity succeeded in toppling the pro-Russian president Yanukovych and putting an end to his destructive policies....

Decolonising culture: Ukrainian artists, banned and stolen by Russia

For centuries, Ukraine was effectively a colony of Russia, with Ukrainian culture constrained and forced to develop under deeply complex and often dramatic conditions. Ukrainian artists faced relentless repression, bans, and persecution from their self-proclaimed “big brother”, leaving them with...

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