Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the everyday shelling of Kharkiv force us to rethink the history of the twentieth century, in particular the struggle for independence. A focus on Kharkiv allows us to look closer at the historical context of twenty-first century revolutions in Ukraine as attempts to counter the weakening of state sovereignty and the growing influence of Russia. Russian propaganda denies Ukraine’s right to sovereignty. It presents Kharkiv as a Russian city with a Russian-speaking population that seeks “reunification” with Russia. Despite a failed attempt in 2014 to create a Kharkiv pseudo-republic following the example of the Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics”, the Russian military leadership expected the city to be captured quickly in 2022. Thanks to the cooperation of the Ukrainian armed forces, the resistance of Kharkiv residents including territorial defense units and a powerful volunteer movement, the Russian occupation of the city was prevented. Thus, the inhabitants of Kharkiv proved the falsity of Russian propaganda about the city’s unconditional pro-Russian orientation. For more than two years, Kharkiv has been under constant military shelling. At the same time, the city’s life has not stopped: a large number of residents have returned, many enterprises, educational and cultural institutions continue to operate in some form, a school and a kindergarten have opened in subway tunnels, and so on. All of these events have aroused increased interest in the history of Kharkiv, a Ukrainian metropolis located just 40 kilometers from the Russian border.

In order to increase research on the history of Kharkiv and present the findings of tis research available to broad audiences, the Department of Public History at FernUniversität in Hagen is organizing the workshop on October 24–25, 2024 in Berlin. The workshop will include academic discussions as well as a public debate, “Kharkiv before and during Russia’s War against Ukraine”. We invite researchers to apply for participation in the workshop. Applicants should submit a short CV and an abstract of their proposed paper (500 words and less). The organizers will cover the travel and accommodation costs.