HISC 189 Neither East nor Europe: A Political History

Examines Eastern Europe as a political concept produced through imperial and colonial hierarchies. We interrogate how Eastern Europe has been constructed as backward, other, or in transition, and how these labels reflect broader structures of power. Course analyzes how postsocialist and wartime contexts challenge liberal teleologies with case studies including Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and the Balkans. Students engage with primary sources, literature, cartography, propaganda material, and film, to develop a grounded and critical understanding of the region and its ongoing global significance.