The End of Empires

Krosno is uniquely placed to discuss the impact that the changes of 1917 and 1918 had upon the states of Europe. The rise of nationhood and the fermenting of independent identities accompanied the upheaval caused by the Russian Revolution and the end of World War One. As we reach the centennial of these events, understanding the legacy of the period helps to explain some of the current issues facing European states and the European Union. The study days will be structured with morning lectures and afternoon tutorial classes with a break for lunch and a study period in between. The lectures will have a thematic approach on one of the following topics: · History, · Social and Cultural effects, · Language change and development, · Literature and narratives of the period, · Contemporary parallels, · The legacies and modern issues, · Discussions on other thematic issues.

Course aim

The course will host lectures on the following themes: 1) The impact of the revolutions in 1917. 2) The shifting borders of new European states. 3) Linguistic divisions and linguistic nationalism. 4) The concept of ‘post-colonialism’. 5) Multi-ethnicity in Eastern Europe. More information about the lectures and the lecturers can be found in the instructors section on the website. There will also be several lecturers of note who will deliver keynote speeches on the topics. At the end of the summer school the students will have: · knowledge of the End of Empires period in Eastern and Central Europe as well as the impact that the changes had upon the societies and their subsequent development, · the competences to apply their knowledge to understand contemporary issues in Europe and the wider world, · and skills for education and training purposes.