Keynote Speaker: World War II Memory in Putin’s Russia.

Professor David L. Hoffmann, Department of History, Ohio State University will give the Keynote address for the Post Soviet Transitions series.

This lecture and related cultural activities are organized by Denison's International Studies Program


Abstract: Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone to extraordinary lengths to commemorate the Second World War. Through Victory Day parades, ceremonial speeches, and government-sponsored films, he has made World War II memory central to contemporary Russian national identity. Why does the Putin administration place such enormous emphasis on a war that ended over 75 years ago? This talk will examine the political utility of World War II memory in Russia today. It will explore how war remembrance serves the interests of Putin’s government in both the domestic and international spheres, including with regard to the current war in Ukraine.

This lecture is made possible by generous support from the Laura C. Harris Series, Lisska Center and the Departments of Communication, Economics, Global Commerce, Politics & Public Affairs and Religion.