Topic
The Genocide against Armenians in Polish Literature in its Transnational Contexts
This study explores how the Armenian Genocide was represented in Soviet and Eastern European literature. It analyses how censorship, trauma and diaspora shaped cultural memory and knowledge transfer across generations.
Memory, Representation and Knowledge Transfer: The Armenian Genocide in the Literature of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
This research investigates how the genocide against Armenians (1915–1923) has been represented, interpreted and remembered in Polish literature, situating these portrayals within broader Central and Eastern European and transnational contexts. While the genocide has been widely examined in Armenian, Western and Russian literary traditions, its reflection in Polish writing remains largely unexplored. The study focuses on how Polish authors engaged with the genocide – whether through prose or poetry, directly or through subtle references – and how they used literature to confront historical silences, political censorship, and collective memory.
It also examines how knowledge about the genocide reached Poland – through translations, personal encounters, journalism, academic discourse or cultural exchange – and how these sources shaped Polish literary production and its reception among readers and critics. By applying theories of trauma, memory and knowledge transfer, the research highlights how Polish writers contributed to preserving the memory of the genocide against Armenians despite political constraints and censorship throughout the 20th century. Ultimately, the project aims to uncover how Polish literature serves as a vessel for remembrance and moral reflection, linking the Armenian tragedy to broader questions of historical responsibility and human rights in Central and Eastern Europe.