National Narratives Research Articles

Мари Фавероның жаңа кітабындағы Орданың өзіндік тарихы мен ішкі әлемі

The article is devoted to a review of the new book by Dr. Marie Favereau, professor of history at the University of Paris - Nanterre, “The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World.” (Marie Favereau. The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World. Harvard University Press, 2021). The book makes an attempt to present the history of the Horde from the inside, from its own positions. Marie Favero managed to show her own history and the inner world of the Horde, its role and place in world history. For the Kazakh reader, it is important that the history of the Horde ulus, which was located on most of the modern territory of Kazakhstan, received bright, scientific and reliable coverage in the book. Today Kazakhstan positions itself as the heir of the Horde, and in this regard, the author of the book’s opinion is important that the history of the Horde is a common heritage and it cannot belong exclusively to the national narratives of any nation states. The objective history of the Horde depends on the position of historians, and our task is to jointly resist nationalism in science. The first and important element of such a fight is the promotion and popularization of scientific research, one of which is the book under review. In this regard, it is vitally necessary to translate the book not only into other European languages, but also into the languages of the numerous heirs of the Golden Horde, primarily the Kazakh language

In Search of “Good Russians”: Ukrainian-Russian Encounters in the United States During the First Cold War

The article is devoted to the topic of Ukrainian-Russian intellectual encounters in exile during the Cold War. The author focuses on Ukraine’s and Russia’s mutual representations in historical narratives in connection with their respective discourses of national identity. The article also describes sporadic attempts at establishing Ukrainian-Russian public dialogue in exile starting in the early 1960s. All of them were initiated and conducted by Ukrainian public activists and intellectuals. The author concludes that participants on both sides ascribed opposing meanings to historical terms. Russian authors, on the one hand, consistently used the modern designation “Ukrainian” as a synonym for “Little Russian,” which automatically situated Ukraine within the “pan-Russian” historical framework. Ukrainian historians, on the other hand, tried to reinterpret “Russian” as a modern national designation rather than an imperial one. Hence the Ukrainian-Russian dialogue had no chance of succeeding unless Russian participants agreed to rethink their discourse of national identity. It is no wonder that many American observers remained confused about the nature of Ukrainian-Russian debates: to them, they looked like a dead-end situation. Thus, rather than trying to find alternative interpretations of Ukrainian and Russian history, most Western specialists followed either one or the other respective national narrative.

Reading ‘Binaries’ in nationalist narratives in the Context of india – A dissection

reading ‘Binaries’ in nationalist narratives in the Context of india – A dissection

Comparative Psychological Content Analysis of Collective Victimhood in Hungarian National Narratives Among Emigrant and Non-Emigrant Groups

Present research aims to identify narrative markers of victimization comparing narratives of emigrant Hungarians in the UK and non-emigrant Hungarians. 121 interviews were collected and analyzed via automatic content analysis software (NarrCat). 54 non-emigrant Hungarians and 67 emigrant Hungarians participated in our sample (average age: 45.65, 71,5% female). Our research has proven that victimization has narrative markers (low agency and psychological perspective taking and increased amount of negative evaluation) that can be identified in narratives related to individual path and national history. MANOVA analysis showed that more narrative markers of victimization can be found in the narratives of non-emigrants while more agency is observable in the narratives of emigrants. The result of narrative analysis was underlined by the fact that emigration also had significant effect on perceived importance of past victimization. Our conclusion suggests that differences can be observed in the construction of narratives and consequently in the interpretation of perceived collective victim consciousness of emigrant and non-emigrant groups.

Troubling rhetoric: discourse theory and Irish Republican Army narratives (1962–1972)

ABSTRACT This paper examines rhetorical theory and narrative creation in the history of militant Irish Republicanism. The splintering of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was predicated on numerous ideological differences during the 1960s; these shifts were underpinned by modalities of discourse and performative speech. Drawing on Ronald Krebs’ work, the IRA’s internal narrative conflicts from the period of 1962–1972 are analysed. Further, it adapts the philosophy of communicative action to show how discourse – spoken and written – was deployed within the pre-split IRA organization and among the Republican community during the turbulent period of 1968–1970. The ideological changes conducted by IRA Chief of Staff Cathal Goulding and his allies offer opportunities to study the competing nationalist narratives and intra-organizational conflict. This work explores the rhetorical foundations of Goulding’s narrative contestations and argues their ‘moment’ was hampered by self-created political hurdles, due to their modes of linguistic deployment. The further application of discourse analysis – through an examination of ‘resistance communities’ – demonstrates how forms of ‘coercive speech’ allowed the fledgling Provisional Irish Republican movement to adapt during and after the split. These theoretical frameworks add to the historiography of this turbulent period and reassesses the how’s of narrative reformation.

Elbing vs. Elbląg. From contested land to decolonial representations

Territorial shifts after World War II entailed critical demographic changes: Germans were expelled from Elbing; Poles from the eastern territories were supposed to take their place in Elbląg. Personal and national narratives had to be created from scratch. The article explores different forms of texts and maps – memoirs, tourist guides, literature, and an exhibition – to scrutinise different city and neighbourhood narratives from German and Polish standpoints. Besides analysing the central motifs and narrative strategies that rely on an urban visualisation of memory, it rejects the popular notion of a palimpsest in favour of a decolonial perspective on urban space. Proposing a way to imagine a city beyond nation-based concepts can stimulate reconsidering hierarchic city structures.

‘Pou maumahara’, ‘the memory place’: Remembrance and material cultures of colonial conflict at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira

This article explores how material objects reveal patterns of remembrance in the public histories of the nineteenth-century New Zealand Wars fought between British regiments and colonial forces and Māori hapū and iwi (tribal groups). It is based on collections research conducted at the Auckland War Memorial Museum which conceptualises a new gallery displaying stories and objects relating to the wars. Bringing together museology and historiography, the article argues that an engagement with the material culture of the New Zealand Wars and public lexicons of memory in a museum context offer opportunities to move beyond national narratives. Just as these colonial conflicts reconfigured the materiality of violence and collective belonging, so too do museum-based objects activate the presentation of these histories in light of new public needs since 2017.

The Theophania of Apollo: a New Approach to the Proem of Parmenides and the Topography of the Sanctuary of Delphi

Abstract The advances that have taken place in recent decades in the investigation of the ritual and topographical structure of the Sanctuary of Delphi have brought to light strong correspondences with the narrative structure of the Proem of Parmenides. These correspondences, of a ritual, topographical and narrative nature, could be a sign that Parmenides’ hymn was composed to be performed in a civic and religious festival of ancient Elea that followed the model of the Theophania of Delphi. In this paper I present the signs and evidence in favour of this thesis, which implies not only a revision of the traditional interpretations of the Proem, but also the possibility of using it as historical evidence to improve our knowledge of the religious festivals held at Delphi. According to this interpretation, the Proem would not describe a katabasis or an anabasis, but the epidemia or arrival of Apollo at Delphi from the land of the Hyperboreans. The narrator would be Apollo (and not Parmenides), and the itinerary of his journey, that of the places and stations of the Theophania procession. This reading also offers a consistent interpretation of the sculptures and inscriptions found in the Insula II of Velia. It is quite likely that the pholarchoi were priests of Apollo, whose ritual consecration took place at the festival for which Parmenides’ hymn was composed.

(анти)колоніальні стратегії художнього мислення Євгена гребінки В поемІ «богдан»

(анти)колоніальні стратегії художнього мислення Євгена гребінки В поемІ «богдан»

Deflating the Chinese balloon: types of Twitter bots in US-China balloon incident

As digitalization increases, countries employ digital diplomacy, harnessing digital resources to project their desired image. Digital diplomacy also encompasses the interactivity of digital platforms, providing a trove of public opinion that diplomatic agents can collect. Social media bots actively participate in political events through influencing political communication and purporting coordinated narratives to influence human behavior. This article provides a methodology towards identifying three types of bots: General Bots, News Bots and Bridging Bots, then further identify these classes of bots on Twitter during a diplomatic incident involving the United States and China. In the balloon incident that occurred in early 2023, where a balloon believed to have originated from China is spotted across the US airspace. Both countries have differing opinions on the function and eventual handling of the balloon. Using a series of computational methods, this article examines the impact of bots on the topics disseminated, the influence and the use of information maneuvers of bots within the social communication network. Among others, our results observe that all three types of bots are present across the two countries; bots geotagged to the US are generally concerned with the balloon location while those geotagged to China discussed topics related to escalating tensions; and perform different extent of positive narrative and network information maneuvers. The broader implications of our work towards policy making is the systematic identification of the type of bot users and their properties across country lines, enabling the evaluation of how automated agents are being deployed to disseminate narratives and the nature of narratives propagated, and therefore reflects the image that the country is being projected as on social media; as well as the perception of political issues by social media users.

The Narrative Character of the Image of Makhambet in Kazakh Poetry (Based on the Poetry of Olzhas Suleimenov)

The last zhyrau (poetic singer) of the Kazakh Khanate, Makhambet Utemisuly, was a prominent figure in the nation's history and literature. He held various roles as a poet, batyr (warrior), and esteemed commander, and his influence resonates strongly within the Kazakh literary tradition. Makhambet's persona served as a significant source of inspiration for numerous poets and writers in Kazakh literature. Notably, his portrayal holds a special significance within the poetry of Olzhas Suleimenov, a versatile poet, public figure, and turkologist. This assertion is substantiated by Suleimenov's poetic works dedicated to Makhambet batyr, covering a range of themes. This research work contributes to a profound understanding of the concept of «image» in Kazakh literary science, specifically through its expression in poetry. The primary objective of this scientific inquiry is to unravel the narrative essence of Makhambet's image as depicted in Olzhas Suleimenov's poetry. The author examines several literary works concerning Makhambet in the Kazakh canon. Through an exploration of the various dimensions in which Makhambet's image is portrayed in Suleimenov's poems and Russian translations, the author provides evidence to support the narrative nature of this image, substantiating their claims with relevant examples. Given that Suleimenov predominantly writes in Russian, the study places particular emphasis on the fidelity of the image's conveyance in both the original and translated versions. While the concept of «image» in the works of Kazakh poets has been the subject of multiple studies, with its significance duly acknowledged, the notion of narrative in poetry remains a pertinent subject within contemporary literary scholarship. This article underscores the paramount importance of investigating the concepts of «image» and «narrative» within the context of poetry, thereby emphasizing the core value of this research. In this research, the author substantiates the hypothesis that a profound and comprehensive exploration of the image in poetry necessitates the discovery of a narrative coherence that unifies the poem's internal structure, the author's intent, and the nuances of word usage.

(Un)Palatable encounters: Melancholic appetites in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

ABSTRACT Drawing on scholarship on racial melancholia and food studies, this article traces the melancholic appetites manifested in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and examines how alimentary desires stand in for the consumptive desires of the US nation state in relation to the model minority as well as the recuperative mourning undertaken by the protagonist Changez upon his return to Pakistan. A double encounter with Lahori cuisine and melancholic testimony in the novel pushes the American interlocutor towards acknowledging a political responsibility for the consequences of US actions during the War on Terror. Hamid’s work highlights how melancholic subjects challenge nationalist narratives of racial progress by unearthing those racialized experiences which have been submerged, silenced, or underemphasized. This article thus highlights the possibility raised by the novel for grieving and healing the psychological wounds of racism so that Changez, the minoritized subject, does not remain locked into generational cycles of dejection.

Dyskursy historyczne państw bałtyckich jako instrument ochrony młodych demokracji po rozpadzie ZSRR

HISTORICAL DISCOURSES OF THE BALTIC STATES AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOUNG DEMOCRACIES AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR: SELECTED ASPECTSThe aim of the article is to discuss selected elements of the historical policy of the Baltic states, tracing the process of shaping their official historical discourse – from post-Soviet nationalist narratives and the glorification of interwar independence to the pro-Western freedom narrative. The starting point of the research is the hypothesis that the top-down memorisation processes of the Baltic states, the centre of which were anti-Sovietism and nationalism, were an effective instrument for protecting the young democratic systems in the Baltic Sea against both the neo-imperial attempts of Putin’s Russia and the autocratic inclinations characteristic of other countries created after the collapse of the USSR.

Symbolic policy in small towns of Zamojszczyzna region, Poland, in the post-socialist period

Abstract Small cities have attracted less attention from researchers of transformation processes, although in some countries they are an important part of the social landscape, as they are in Poland. I present the results of research on the public space and symbolic politics in three small towns in Zamojszczyzna, a region in southeastern Poland. All are characterized by interrupted or disturbed historical continuity due to the extermination of their Jewish communities, which made up the majority of the population until World War II. After 1945, the Jewish past was silenced, while the symbolic space was dominated by the memory of the resistance movement. I show in my text that since the 1990s there have been significant transformations in the aforementioned towns. In some of them, firstly, interest in Jewish heritage and efforts to preserve it are becoming more apparent. Second, there is a noticeable shift from commemorating anti-fascism to promoting the so-called struggle against communism, a reflection of the current politics of remembrance at the central level. I argue that the use of cultural heritage in small towns serves largely to gain recognition. Local authorities often use not only elements of the past that fit into national narratives, but also local traditions or even fictional literary heroes, for this purpose.

Realism, Myth and Spiritual Mestizaje in Las malas by Camila Sosa Villada

Abstract: By reclaiming the power of self-definition and the use of the term travesti to designate their unique experience within the Latin American cultural, economic, and political context, travesti intellectuals have fought the dehumanization of their personhood. In her novel Las malas , the Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada not only reclaims the right to self-definition but also connects the realistic accounts of human rights violations against travesti subjects with the spiritual, mythical, and religious roots of the travesti experience. To make these connections, Sosa Villada appropriates magical realism, a literary mode that provides the space to naturalize the presence of travesti subjects as protagonists of folktales, miracles, and religious narratives while denouncing violence against travesti bodies. In this way, the author unveils and corrects the dichotomic nature of cultural narratives that exclude travesti and trans subjects from religious and cultural spaces in Latin America. Moreover, by rewriting folktales and religious narratives, and by situating travestis as protagonists of narratives of miracles, Sosa Villada deploys "spiritual mestizaje" that dignifies and humanizes travesti personhood, opening previously proscribed spaces for these agents. In this way, Sosa Villada not only disrupts and expands the literary tradition of magical realism by adding the travesti experience to the predominantly heteronormative corpus of magical-realist narratives but exercises religious agency.

Governance of religious diversity in Central Europe: A religious nationalism inspired illiberal turn in Hungary and Slovakia?

Central European countries with a historically dominant Roman Catholic heritage belong to a particular cluster in respect to the governance of religion. This paper focuses on Hungary and Slovakia and addresses the effect of religious nationalism on the regimes of governance of religion in the two countries. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, there was a brief period of neutral stance towards religion, which was characterized by liberal values. With the introduction of the bilateral Concordat agreements with the Holy See, both countries started to treat traditional Christian Churches preferentially. By the 2010s legislation in both countries created restrictive entry barriers for “new” religions. This created two or multi-tiered systems for “old” and “new” religions, in which the former enjoyed closer relationship with the state. As a result, the separation of church and state has become blurred. Preferentially treated churches reappeared in the public space as providers of certain educational and social services. Preferentially treated churches and the state developed asymmetrically interdependent relationships, the state having the upper hand. Meanwhile, increasingly populist and nationalist parties instrumentalized religion by involving Christianity in their nationalistic political discourse. This helped create a normative space, in which the state is able to give further preferential treatment to certain religious groups over others. The emphasis on Christian national identity underpinned these governments’ narratives that conflates migration with security and Islam, which pushed those religious groups on the margins, which do not fit in the religious nationalist narrative of the increasingly right- and populism-leaning governing elite.

Social Networks in the Time of Crisis – Ukraine as a Virtual Battlefield

Previous research has established that during all phases of a crisis, people resort to different means of communication in order to get more information (McIntyre et al., 2012, Nelson et al., 2009, Lachlan et al., 2009), in order to reduce uncertainty ( Lachlan et al., 2010), and to gain a sense of control over the situation (Lachlan et al., 2016). At the beginning of the 21st century, mass communication is taking on new forms. The exponential growth and affirmation of the Internet as a very important channel for communication has minimized the influence of traditional media. Digitization processes, interactivity, multimedia, connection and networking of a large number of people and expediency in the dissemination of information enabled the wide use of social networks in times of crisis. In the first part of the paper, previous research on the use of social networks in crisis communication was synthesized, through the presentation of best practices for effective communication. The second part of the paper provides a detailed analysis of the use of social networks on the example of the war in Ukraine, answering two important questions: 1. how are social networks used to spread competing national narratives and disinformation in times of crisis? and 2. what is the role of social media owners and government policies in limiting disinformation?

Grandiose dreams, mega projects: Ottoman nostalgia in ‘new Turkey’

AbstractIn January of 2015 Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the newly built extravagant and highly controversial presidential palace. Sixteen warriors representing all of the former Turkic empires in full costume were present at the welcoming ceremony. This paper uses Volkan's psycho‐political framework to understand state‐led efforts of historical revisionism which manifest itself in historical glories and nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire. The central argument posits that grandiose or mega projects strategically serve historical revisionism in Turkey, amplifying selected glories of Turkish society to bolster support for authentic and national narrative, known as “yerli ve milli (domestic and national)”

The Foundations, Resilience and Spirit of Democratic Institutions

In this modified lecture on the spirit of democracy and the importance of the constitution as a radical document, the author engages with the manner in which the struggle for independence resulted in the imagination of India as a sovereign, democratic and secular republic. Because this history is being systematically erased to create an alternate singular narrative of nationalism that is against the core constitutional values, there is a need to revisit the foundational values and emotions that gave rise to the democratic institutions and ensure that these processes are put to work through informed, organised and active citizen participation, keeping in view principles of equality and social justice. Active citizenship is indeed a powerful transformative force to expand and deepen democracy. The article details the reasons why the spirit of a democratic culture among citizens from the level of gram panchayats and municipalities to the district, state and national levels has the capacity to expose and resist the construction of Hindu nationalist hegemony, its falsity and authoritarianism.

The Case of Literary Journalism: Rethinking Fictionality, Narrativity, and Imagination

ABSTRACT This article discusses the genre of literary journalism/reportage against a background of earlier assumptions on fictionality. At a local level in nonfiction, fictionality can be expressed through invented stories and scenarios that create a contrast to the global, nonfictive context. However, fictionality can also be expressed through stylistic devices that traditionally have been associated with narrative fiction. A local contrast may appear, but only if the genre in itself is not narrative. If the focus is on the nonfictional and narrative genre of literary journalism/reportage, there will be no contrast. Here, the rhetoric will work just like in narrative fiction and should be considered to be part of the features of narrativity. Furthermore, the concept imagination should be perceived in close relation to Monika Fludernik’s understanding of narrative as experience. The conclusion is a call to partly rethink existing connections between fictionality, narrativity, and imagination in order to better understand the narrative nature of reportage.