Historians without Borders in Finland has published a new report, History in Exile: Dialogues on Russian History and Memory Politics 2024–2026. The report brings together the principal results and insights of the two-year project, focusing on memory politics, the working conditions of historians in exile and the role of public history.
The report examines how the Russian state’s political use of history, war and repression have narrowed the space for independent research, teaching and public debate. It also shows how the expertise of historians working in exile can contribute to discussions about memory politics, propaganda, history education and engagement with difficult pasts in the Nordic and Baltic countries and elsewhere in Europe.
Over the course of the project, public events, workshops and focused professional discussions were organised in four countries, with both onsite and online participation.
The report highlights three principal outcomes:
- the creation of an informal professional network of around 40 participants
- six public history initiatives addressing topics including Russian memory politics, marginalised histories, and Soviet and post-Soviet legacies
- the inclusion of historians in exile and their expertise in wider public debate.
A central conclusion of the project is that historical research and public history work under conditions of war, repression and displacement cannot be sustained through individual effort alone. Continued work requires professional networks, more durable institutional support and modest resources for coordination.
Read and download the report (PDF).
History in Exile ran from September 2024 to September 2026. The project was coordinated by Historians without Borders in Finland and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers.