Authors

Discussion

The goal of the presentation is to verify the thesis that the problem of the Polish-Ukrainian memory conflict is partly caused by miscommunication between the two states, miscommunication with their societies, and the distrust resulting from past mistakes made by both sides. The analysis will rely on historical and legal (analytic-dogmatic) methods as well as political science approaches.

The presentation will demonstrate how Poles and Ukrainians interpret certain events and figures from World War II, how the discrepancies between these views have influenced politics in the past, and how misunderstandings and stubbornness on both sides have led to mutual distrust (for example, in the case of the Monastyr Hill monument and the de facto embargo on exhumation works in Ukraine). It will also show how this memory conflict was temporarily muted during the first year of the full-scale invasion, and when and why it re-emerged as an issue. Both Polish and Ukrainian perspectives will be presented, along with an overview of the negotiation process between the two neighbours.

The presentation will then explain how both sides managed to reach a political agreement on search and exhumation works, and how the fact that this deal was made quietly, without public communication, contributed to a lack of understanding within Polish society. Finally, using the example of the aftermath of the successful exhumation works in Puźniki, Ukraine (such as a controversial commentary at the Ministry of Culture's website and misleading information at the website of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrence), it will highlight how these events reflect the persistent problems that continue to exist in both Poland and Ukraine.