Building Autocracy. History as a Part (Element) of Contemporary Polish Politics

Monday, September 27, 2021

The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Program of Yale University presents Rafal Wnuk, 2021 William Rosenberg Senior Scholar, Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, on “Building Autocracy. History as a Part (Element) of Contemporary Polish Politics”

Rafal Wnuk is Professor at the Catholic University of Lublin. He is a Polish historian specializing in the history of the anti-German and anti-Soviet resistance in the Central Europe during and after WWII, the history of totalitarian systems, museology and politics of memory. Author several books, including: Za pierwszego Sowieta. Polska konspiracja na Kresach Wschodnich II Rzeczypospolitej (wrzesień 1939-czerwiec 1941) (Under the first Soviet: Polish underground in the Second Republic’s Eastern territories (September 1939-June 1941) from 2007; Wojna po wojnie. Antysowieckie podziemie w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej w latach 1944-1953, (A War after the War. The anti-Soviet Underground in East Central Europe in 1944-53) from 2012, with co-authors: Grzegorz Motyka, Tomasz Stryjek, Adam F. Baran; Leśni Bracia. His lateste work is Podziemie antykomunistyczne na Litwie. Łotwie i w Estonii. 1944-1956 (Forest Brothers. Anti-Communist underground in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia 1944-1956) from 2018. Rafał Wnuk was the editor-in-chief of Atlas polskiego podziemia niepodległościowego 1944-1956 (Atlas of the Polish pro-independence underground, 1944-1956) and editor-in-chief of the semi-annual publication of the Institute of National Remembrance Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość. (Remembrance and Justice) from 2002 to 2009. He is the author of numerous scientific articles, educational programs, and a curator of historical exhibitions.