Call for articles, Authoritarian Geographies in the Former Soviet Bloc and Eastern Europe

Call for articles, Authoritarian Geographies in the Former Soviet Bloc and Eastern Europe, Journal of Historical Geography.

The journal of Historical Geography is pleased to announce a call for a special issue section dedicated to exploring the historical particularities of how geographic information was produced, memorialized, and represented within authoritarian states, with a particular focus on the countries of the former Soviet Bloc, Balkans, and Eastern Europe. This special issue seeks to unravel the intricate layers of political influence and spatial narratives embedded in the cartographic practices, museum exhibitions, monuments, and toponymy of these regions. Through interdisciplinary lenses encompassing historical geography, history of science, political science, cultural studies, and memory studies, we aim to critically examine the ways in which authoritarian regimes manipulated geographic knowledge to assert power, construct national identities, and control territories, as well as how these legacies persist in contemporary landscapes.

We invite scholars to delve into diverse case studies that shed light on the multifaceted nature of geographic information production under authoritarian rule, the processes of memorialization and commemoration, and the politics of toponyms. Contributions may explore topics such as the role of maps and atlases in propagating state ideologies, the transformation of urban spaces through monumental architecture and commemorative practices, the contestation over place names and their symbolic significance, and the challenges of representing and interpreting authoritarian pasts in post-socialist societies. Additionally, we invite contributions that examine the ways in which geography and geographical representations have supported violence and conflicts in the region, exploring how spatial imaginaries, territorial disputes, and cartographic manipulations have fueled tensions and shaped geopolitical dynamics throughout history. By critically engaging with the historical geographies of authoritarianism in this region, we seek to contribute to broader discussions on memory, power, and representation in contemporary geopolitics.

Those seeking to contribute 8,000 - 10,000 essays (including notes) would need to send a brief (one page) description of their project and a maximum two-page CV by the 25th of May to Dr. Sofia Gavrilova, S_Gavrilova@leibniz-ifl.de If accepted, your completed manuscript would need to be sent by the 15th of November.