Second Conference of the Ukrainian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies

Rethinking Empires, Colonialism, and Great Power Politics: Eighteenth Century Perspectives

Korolenko Poltava National Pedagogical University

Poltava, Ukraine

October 25 - 27, 2023

*This event is expected to be a hybrid-style conference.*

Read the call for papers for this conference.

Since 2014 issues of imperialism, great power politics, and spheres of influence have resurfaced and returned to the European agenda. Russian aggression against Ukraine has not only questioned the post-Cold War European order but also demonstrated the longevity of the legacies of the Tsarist and Soviet empires that continue to shape the imagination and politics of the Russian political elites. In international academic history writing, one can also see the renewed interest in comparative histories of empires, whereas in East European historiographies the issue of internal colonialism and of the role of serfdom in (un)making of empires and nations has recently been actively discussed. By focusing on the “long” eighteenth century – a pivotal period in East European empire-building – this conference aims to consider the above-mentioned political and historiographic developments.

This conference aims to provide a forum for scholars across a range of disciplines and

research fields to discuss a variety of topics related to the history and literature of Ukraine, Europe, and the wider world of the “long” eighteenth century. 

These will include:

• From traditional to modernizing empire: political imageries and practices of imperial and colonial rule
• Enlightenment and (un)making of imperial ideology
• Great power politics and international relations
• Christian churches and empire-building
• Symbolical geography of imperial space
• Geographical exploration, scientific travel and knowledge production as tools of colonial/imperial expansionist policies
• Ukraine and the Russian Empire in a comparative perspective
• A Benevolent Empire? Habsburg Empire and the Partitions of the Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth
• East European serfdom and the “internal colonialism” debate
• Languages of self-description and (un)making of imperial identities
• Opposing the empire: local nobilities vs foreign absolutisms
• Imperial violence and wars
• Children and empire: printed materials, educational opportunities
• Mapping women’s diverse experiences of the empire
• Empire and consumer culture

More information to come shortly – please bookmark this page to stay informed!