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Abstract: Poland: Ashes and DiamondsPoland: Ashes and Diamonds is a book about contemporary Poland, written by Ingrid Brekke, a knowledgeable Norwegian journalist. Its great merit is that it explains the contemporary political development in Poland through the prism of the country's history. The book is not devoid of some misinterpretations or minor errors; however, this is more than well compensated by its engaging style and skillful construction. The book is informative, easy-to-read and has a clear potential to increase the readers' understanding of Polish society and ignite their interest in the country.

In this volume scholars scrutinise developments in official symbolical, cultural and social policies as well as the contradictory trajectories of important cultural, social and intellectual trends in Russian society after the year 2000. Engaging experts on Russia from several academic fields, the book offers case studies on the vicissitudes of cultural policies, political ideologies and imperial visions, on memory politics on the grassroot as well as official levels, and on the links between political and national imaginaries and popular culture in fields as diverse as fashion design and pro-natalist advertising.

The developments in Russian official symbolical, cultural and social policies as well as the contradictory trajectories of important cultural, social and intellectual trends in Russian society after the year 2000. Readership: The book is intended for specialists as well as for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of politics, culture and society in Russia and other Post-Soviet countries, cultural policy, memory, history, Putin, ideology, nationalism, political regimes, elites, grassroots, Post-Soviet politics, social media, social movements, intellectual history, and imperial visions.

This book attempts to describe and understand the processes which are at work in the Polish and Swedish contexts and lead to the construction of new, Europeanized representations of the past. It asks how the ongoing process of European political integration influences local, regional, national, and transnational interpretations of the past in these two countries. It is the outcome of a multidisciplinary effort on the part of Polish and Swedish researchers working in the fields of ethnology and cultural anthropology, the sociology of culture, history, memory, and heritage studies. It describes a variety of cases and approaches while at the same time being firmly anchored in shared research questions and the authors' common attempts to grasp the sometimes fluid and elusive aspects of the Europeanization of heritage and memories in Poland and Sweden. The selection of cases presents the diverse directions of the processes of Europeanization as well as its dynamics in places which differ in terms of their axiology. The contributors analyze its influence in places connected with contemporary museum narration (Lucja Piekarska-Duraj), transnational initiatives (Lars-Eric Jönsson), regional/transnational idylls (Eleonora Narvselius), national pride (Krzysztof Kowalski), dark memories from the period of the Second World War (Barbara Törnquist-Plewa, Björn Magnusson Staaf, Elisabeth Büttner) and new forms of heroism (Ulf Zander, Katarzyna Suszkiewicz). The examples of the Europeanization of heritage and memory provided in this volume show that its efficacy varies, with some places easily being linked to the European context and others resisting it. In other words, it does not follow the same course everywhere nor does it lead to the same redefinition of the past.--

The volume presents results from a research project financed by the National Science Centre (Poland) entitled 'The Europeanization of realms of memory and the invention of a common European heritage'. Furthermore, the book reflects the objectives of this project: to describe and understand the processes which are at work in the Polish and Swedish context and lead to the construction of a new, Europeanized representations of the past. We ask how the ongoing process of European, political integration influences local, regional, national and transnational interpretations of the past in these two countries.As an outcome of a multidisciplinary effort on the part of Polish and Swedish researchers working in the fields of ethnology and cultural anthropology, the sociology of culture, history, memory and heritage studies, this volume has emerged. While the book demonstrates a variety of cases and approaches, it is at the same time firmly anchored in the common abovementioned research question and the authors' common understandings of the key concepts used.This volume reflects attempts undertaken by our research team to grasp the sometimes fluid and elusive aspects of the Europeanization of heritage and memories in Poland and Sweden. The selection of cases analysed not only allows us to attempt to comprehend the essence and diverse directions of the processes of Europeanization but also its dynamics in places which differ in terms of their axiology. The co-authors thus analysed its influence in places connected with contemporary museum narration (Lucja Piekarska-Duraj), transnational initiatives (Lars-Eric Jönsson), regional/transnational idylls (Eleonora Narvselius), national pride (Krzysztof Kowalski), with dark memory from the period of the Second World War (Barbara Törnquist-Plewa, Björn Magnusson Staaf, Elisabeth Büttner) and new forms of heroism (Ulf Zander, Katarzyna Suszkiewicz)... The examples of the Europeanization of heritage and memory provided in this volume show that its efficacy varies, with some places easily being linked to the European context and others resisting it. In other words, it does not follow the same course everywhere nor does it lead to the same redefinition of the past. The Polish and Swedish examples are excellent proof of this, as evidenced and explored in the Conclusion (Zdzislaw Mach).Preface, Krzysztof Kowalski, Barbara Törnquist-Plewa

The Twentieth Century in European Memory investigates contested and divisive memories. Focusing on questions of transculturality and reception, the book looks at ways in which such memories are being shared, debated and received by museums, artists, politicians and general audiences Readership: Students and scholars of memory studies and public history, as well as students and scholars of Europan studies and contemporary European and international history, anthropology and cultural studies.