Dr. Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik visits the Faculty of Social Sciences

The first topic that she discussed with students, was the role and significance of Soviet monuments in Central and Eastern Europe.  The principal goal of the discussion was to examine social and

political roles of the Soviet monuments. The focus of her classes was on Soviet-era statues in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and the Baltic states where the controversy and ambiguity of the Soviet heritage are still actual. In-class discussion was based on the assumption that heritage is a matter of permanent political and social discourse, seeing Soviet monuments as a dissonant heritage in the context of the ongoing  process of de-communization.

The purpose behind the second topic was to explore different methods how to deal with Russian disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe. It was mentioned that an independent media environment is perceived as part of the security issue and states seek to create the most favourable conditions for its development. The conclusion was that while the majority of the Central and Eastern European countries have developed different procedures to fight Russia's disinformation and propaganda at both national and international levels, they do not abandon democratic principles and rules, such as freedom of speech, pluralism, and the right to privacy.