Galician Research

Center hosted a presentation of Dr. Jan Surman on postcolonial reading of Galicia and discussion of Surman/Kaps (eds.) "Postcolonial Galicia: Prospect and Possibilities".

The presentation asked the question about applicability of postcolonial theory for description of cultural processes in Central Europe and in Galicia in particular on examples drawn from the volume "Postcolonial Galicia: Prospect and Possibilities". Through its imperial and soviet past, as well as its ethnic and linguistic complexity, Galicia seems as a perfect field to apply methods developed by postcolonial and subaltern studies. But at the same time, the concepts of postcoloniality summons the idea of sharp distinctions between the colonized and colonizer, hegemon and subaltern, which are hardly applicable to the historical dynamics of the region.

The discussion was lead by Dr. Vasyl Rasevych, senior research fellow of Ukrainian Studies at the Krypyakevych Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, specializing in Galician History of the Austrian period and the politics of memory in present-day Ukraine.