G-Word: A Deep History of Genocide Claims in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Organised by

• Department of History
• Ukraine

Starting from the Ukrainian-Jewish Raphael Lemkin’s speech act that launched the concept of genocide into high politics, it has reigned over seminal debates, court trials, and transnational institutions of the 20th and 21st centuries.

This talk will combine a deep history of Lemkin’s concept with its originally Ukrainian roots; an overview of the more recent Ukrainian-Russian debates about the genocidal nature of the Soviet famines; a focus on the revival of the genocide claims during the late 20th century Balkan wars; and the first observations on the circulation of G-word during the initial weeks of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Building a coherent narrative from these ingredients is a challenge but we are working on it and wish to contribute this story to the Ukrainian Month at EUI.

All interested fellows, PhD researchers, professors and visiting academics are invited to participate. The event is open to the general public. Please register for the event by Thursday 31st of March to receive the Zoom link.