Book & Talk in Stockholm: "Babyn Yar: History and Memory" by Paul Robert Magocsi

Monday, October 21, from 18:00, Stockholm, free admission.

Welcome to the presentation of Paul Robert Magocsi's new book, Babyn Yar: History and Memory, published in 2023.

Registration required.
Please register for the event here.

Language: English

Babyn Yar in Kyiv was the site of one of the largest mass shootings of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. This book features contributions from internationally recognized scholars who examine how Babyn Yar has been represented in culture, music, and art from the Stalin era to the present. The essays highlight the importance of preserving Babyn Yar as a symbol of the Holocaust and other tragedies of the 20th century, extending beyond the detailed and harrowing accounts of the events in Kyiv in late September 1941.

The event will be moderated by Lior Becker and will also feature musical performances.

Participating speakers:

Paul Robert Magocsi is a distinguished historian and political scientist at the University of Toronto, where he has held the John Yaremko Chair of Ukrainian Studies since 1980. He holds degrees from Rutgers, Princeton and Harvard University. Professor Magocsi has taught at prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Prešov University. He has also been a historian at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. In 1996, he was appointed a permanent fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received honorary doctorates from Prešov University and Kamianets-Podilskyi National University. His research focuses on nationalism, especially among ethnic groups in borderlands, and spans history, sociolinguistics, bibliography, cartography and immigration studies.

Lior Becker, PhD, is a modern historian, teacher and interdisciplinary researcher. He was born in Israel and lives in Sweden. His areas of specialization are Holocaust history, historiography and memory, in particular Yizkor books and other forms of grassroots Holocaust memory, 19th and 20th-century intellectual history and political philosophy, comparative genocide studies, and Eastern European Jewish history and culture.

Participating artists:

Natalya Pasichnyk. With creative interpretations and intellectual depth, Stockholm-based Natalya Pasichnyk has established herself as one of Europe's leading concert pianists. She was the first Swedish artist to win the Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards. Natalya is a sought-after jury member in international piano competitions and gives master classes throughout Europe. OPUS, Sweden's leading classical music magazine, has twice (2014, 2022) listed her as one of Sweden's most influential cultural personalities. Over the years, Natalya has dedicated herself to introducing Ukraine's unknown musical treasures to Western audiences. She has also been the artistic director of several music festivals and holds a PhD in music and artistic research.

Erik Wahlgren studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Edsberg Music Institute. He performs regularly at festivals and concerts in Sweden and abroad and has appeared as a soloist with conductors such as Okko Kamu, Anthony Halstead, Paul Mägi and Andrew Litton. Erik has worked with Norrbotten Neo and Uppsala Kammarsolister and plays baroque cello with his own group, Ensemble Klärobskyr, and with the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble. He is a member of the Vamlingbo Quartet and serves as principal cellist in the Royal Court Orchestra.

The event is organized by the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden, the Jewish Community of Stockholm, Paideia — The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, Paideia Folk High School, the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter and the Holocaust Museum. The Ukrainian Jewish Encounter also supported the publication of the book. Admission is free.

Please register for the event here.

For more information see the website of the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden.