36th Methodological Seminar "Problems of Identity and Historical Memory in Post-Totalitarian Societies"
April 9, 2025
EEIT continues the series of seminars "Public Theology in the Context of Overcoming the Totalitarian Past." On April 9, at 16:00 Kyiv time (online, on Zoom), the Institute plans to hold the fourth seminar in this series on the topic "Problems of Identity and Historical Memory in Post-Totalitarian Societies." At the previous seminars, the speakers together with the participants discussed the experience of various Christian communities in totalitarian states, as well as how Christian churches can contribute to building a better democratic future. At the next seminar, we will talk about the role of memory in shaping our understanding of history.
Speakers of the Seminar
Matthew Rowley
Dr. Matthew Rowley is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK) and a visiting assistant professor of history at Fairfield University (US). His work specializes in the relationship between theology and warfare, also focusing on identity, race, slavery, law and how the past is remembered. The author or editor of five books, including God, Religious Extremism and Violence (Cambridge University Press, 2024), Godly Violence in the Puritan Atlantic World, 1636–76 (Boydell & Brewer, 2024) and A Global Sourcebook in Protestant Political Thought, 1517–1660 (Routledge, 2024).
Dan R. Stiver
Dan R. Stiver is President and Professor of the Jesse C. Fletcher Seminary (USA). He was Cook-Derrick Professor of Theology at the Logsdon School of Theology of Hardin-Simmons University from 1998 to 2019 and Professor of Christian Philosophy at Southern Baptist Seminary from 1984 to 1998. His publications include The Philosophy of Religious Language: Sign, Symbol, and Story (Blackwell, 1996), Theology after Ricoeur: New Directions in Hermeneutical Theology (Westminster John Knox, 2001), Life Together in the Way of Jesus Christ: An Introduction to Christian Theology (Baylor, 2009), and Ricoeur and Theology (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2012).
Anton Drobovych
Anton Drobovych is the Head of the Human Rights and War Memorialization Centre at the Kyiv School of Economics. In 2010–2019, he taught at the Cultural Studies and Philosophical Anthropology Department of the Drahomanov National Pedagogical University. He worked as a journalist and later headed the analytical department of the news agency Naholos (2012–2013). Later he became an assistant to the director-general and then headed the Museum Planning and Development Strategy Service at Mystetskyi Arsenal (2013–2016). In 2016, he served as an advisor to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. In 2019, he was in charge of educational programs at the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Centre. From 2019 to 2024, he headed the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
Work of the Seminar
Kyiv time
16:00 – 17:00 – Speaker: Matthew Rowley. Title of the presentation: "Mythologizing the Past and Crystallizing Political Ideology." In English with simultaneous interpretation into Ukrainian.
17:10 – 18:10 – Speaker: Dan Stiver. Title of the presentation: "The Horrors and Hopes of History: Paul Ricoeur on Memory and History." In English with simultaneous interpretation into Ukrainian.
18:10 – 18:30 – a break
18:30 – 19:30 – Speaker: Anton Drobovych. Title of the presentation: "Challenges of Perceiving and Constructing Identity in a Post-Totalitarian Society (The Case of Ukraine)." In Ukrainian with simultaneous interpretation into English.
Registration
Attendance is free, but registration is required for all participants. Immediately after registration, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the event. The Zoom link is unique to each participant, so please do not share your registration information with anyone else. Each participant must register separately and receive their own link to join the meeting.
To participate in the seminar, you need to fill in the registration form.
Recommended Readings
Everyone who registers for the event will have access to the recommended reading materials to prepare for the seminar. To access the materials, please follow the link that you will receive in the Zoom confirmation email that you will receive immediately after registration. If you do not receive a registration confirmation email, please register again or email us at office@eeit-edu.info.
Interpretation
Simultaneous Ukrainian translation of all English lectures will be provided. The Ukrainian lecture will be interpreted into English.
