Using the Mediative Dialogue Approach, 18 experts from academia, think tanks and NGOs, as well as journalists and dialogue practitioners, met in Berlin on 08 – 12 November 2019. They analyzed and reflected on Ukrainian, German and Russian historical narratives on what went wrong regarding the deterioration of relations between the respective countries.
The historical narratives often reflect deeply held beliefs, which have their basis in the individual and collective experience. Understanding how a narrative unfolded does not necessarily mean agreeing with it. However, the attempt to understand helps to prepare the ground for effective negotiations searching for ways out of the current crisis.
The joint experts’ work will result in the publication focusing on the following five topics which the group considered most relevant for fostering an in-depth understanding of the narratives regarding Ukrainian-Russian-Western relations: Holodomor/the Great Famine of the 1930s and its impact on the idea of Ukrainian independence; 1991 – different perceptions on the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence; attempts and failures of cooperation with NATO; and competing narratives on Euromaidan, Crimea, and Donbas.
About the project
The project “Joint History Textbook – 2090” was designed and implemented by the Centre of Public Initiatives “Ideas for Change” (Kyiv), inmedio peace consult gGmbH (Berlin) and the Institute for Law and Public Policy, ILPP (Moscow) and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
