HIST 784

Readings in East European History

Chad Bryant

In this seminar we will discuss some the major questions, themes, and research agendas in the field of Eastern European history. Focus will be given to the lands of Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the former Yugoslavia. I also make a special effort to assign readings with a variety of approaches to the writing of history. Our topics will include industrialization and the rise of nationalism in the Habsburg monarchy; gender and war; travel writing; the Holocaust in Eastern Europe; retribution trials that followed World War II; life under Communist rule; and finally the collapse of Communist rule. We will end the course with a discussion of the label “Eastern Europe,” asking what European Union enlargement will mean for the region and our definitions of it. Participation in the seminar will provide a solid foundation for anyone planning to make Eastern Europe your first or second field of study.