Episode 85: Estonia grapples with its Soviet past

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope The final episode of 2021 once again takes us to Estonia. This time the context is a discussion on the removal of the Soviet-era “Bronze Soldier” statue in Tallinn which took place in April 2007. As a result of the government’s decision, violent protests broke out in Estonia – unprecedented for the small Baltic state.The incident exemplifies the complexity of memory in this region but also illustrates how memory is used to manipulate and incite violence. To revisit this discussion and take stock on the current state of inter-ethnic relations in Estonia, Adam and Maciek sit down with Karsten Brüggemann Professor of Estonian and General History at Tallinn University.This episode is being produced within the framework of the project titled “Contested Histories Onsite”, a project which aims to place Europeans in discussions and debates on multiple historical perspectives and to activate citizens in public involvement of memory-constructions. As part of the EU’s Europe for Citizens programme, the project’s aspiration is rooted in a shared conviction that raising critical questions about the past is fundamental for citizens to develop a critical attitude towards the narratives that are competing with each other in contemporary politics.For more information on the project visit: -Contested Histories Onsite: https://contestedhistories.org/onsite/-Memory Studies Association: https://www.memorystudiesassociation.org/contested-histories-onsite/-EuroClio: https://www.euroclio.eu/project/contested-histories/- Listen to our previous episode on the Warsaw Uprising Museum: https://www.spreaker.com/user/talkeasterneurope/tee-77 ****Check out our special podcast series on Polish Science Fiction and Fantasy / 100 Years of Stanislaw Lem. Available here: https://apple.co/3d6ToM8