Common Places, Uncommon Memories: POV of an Urban Sociologist. Olga Sezneva

After conflict and war come resettling and rebuilding. Stones are assembled anew, and new futures are imagined. But what about the past? In her talk, Olga Sezneva discusses the role cities and their architecture play in the formation and de-formation of our collective memories. She draws examples from cities in North America and South-East Asia, Western, and Central Europe, and focuses in particular on the city of Kaliningrad. Annexed from Germany at the end of WWII, it has been considered a “strategic trophy,” a “reparation,” and a “European heritage”. What is at the heart of such namings, and what do they tell us about the geopolitical situation of today? Donate to Helping to Leave: https://helpingtoleave.org/en Updates on future lectures: Instagram:   / wemustbelieveinspring   Telegram: https://t.me/wemustbelieveinspring