The Communist Experience in Eastern Europe: Genres of Interpretation

Almost twenty-five years after the disintegration of the communist regimes across Eastern Europe, the question of how to remember the communist experience is highly contested. This interdisciplinary course highlights the complexities of the collective memory of communism, which fluctuates between attempts to come to terms with communist crimes and tendencies to idealize state socialism. Focusing on a range of issues—such as nostalgia, consumer culture, sexuality, gender, violence, the legacy of repression, and attempts at transitional justice—we will explore the nature of communist and post-communist realities by discussing scholarly studies and weekly screenings of full-length feature and documentary films. Enrollment limited to 20.