This study investigates specific events and phenomena associated with the “Yellow Peril” in the Russian-Soviet context, focusing on the Pacific city of Vladivostok. While geographically localized, the analysis spans broader cultural dimensions. This approach offers novel historiographical insights in several ways: the pogrom-like attacks on Chinese residents during the late Tsarist Empire and their mass deportation under Stalin render this community in the Soviet Far East a unique case within both the global diaspora of overseas Chinese and the history of national minorities in the Soviet Union. Additionally, the project examines how social elites in the Russian-Soviet context constructed “race” as a category of practical politics, facilitating and legitimizing acts of extreme violence.

Book project: Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky

This research project posits a hypothesis that the actions of the Russian education system have emerged as pivotal factors in legitimizing Russia’s aggressive state policy, framing contemporary Russian education within the paradigm of “collective guilt” (conceptualized by Karl Jaspers in the context of Nazi Germany). The objective is to examine internal factors within the Russian education system that contribute to its role as an ideological supporter of aggression in Ukraine and transform it into an instrument for positive societal change. Besides, in this project, education (especially social and historical disciplines) is part of the state symbolic policy, as well as one of the institutions that reproduce the collective historical memory of society.

The project uses employ a multi-method approach to comprehensively explore the collective responsibility of Russian education and its implications for the war against Ukraine. In particular, the following methods are used:
- Historical Analysis: In-depth examination of post-war Germany’s practices in formulating the “collective guilt” of the education system.
- Anonymous Research in Russian Education: Conducting a series of in-depth interviews with a minimum of 50 employees from schools and universities in Russia.
- Media Space Analysis: Examination of the virtual Russian media space from 2022 to 2024 using data parsing and “big data” analysis methods.

By implementing this comprehensive methodology, the project aims to provide a nuanced analysis of the key factors contributing to the collective guilt of Russian education in the context of the war against Ukraine. The project will be the first such study in Russia and Europe.

Postdoc-Projekt: Sergei Chernyshov

The project examines the Polish diaspora in Harbin in the early 20th century and the memory of this “Chinese chapter” of Polish emigration. The Manchurian city of Harbin, founded in 1898, was a center of Russian imperialism in China. The Polish community had a significant influence on its economic and cultural life. The project sheds light on the complex role of the Poles in this period and closes a research gap in the imperial history of Manchuria.

Dissertation project: Mariusz Borysiewicz
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky
Funded by: German-Polish Science Foundation

The project investigates the socio-historical dimensions of religiously motivated social freedom practices among sect followers in the nineteenth-century Russian Empire, providing a nuanced analysis of the concept of freedom within this historical context.

Habilitation project: Dr. Agnieszka Zaganczyk-Neufeld

The doctoral project investigates the ideological frameworks and activities of the Russian exile organization Narodno-Trudovoj Sojuz rossijskich solidaristov (NTS), known in the history of resistance to Soviet communist rule as the People's Labour Union of Russian Solidarists.
The study focuses on the extensive networks the NTS established and sustained between 1945 and 1991. Particular attention is given to the organization’s collaboration with key actors in the East-West conflict, both at state and private levels. The research aims to elucidate how the NTS interacted with other anti-communist forces abroad and the extent to which these groups influenced each other.
A defining feature of the NTS, distinguishing it from other Russian exile organizations, was its steadfast belief that the overthrow of Soviet power required direct engagement with the Soviet population. This project examines the various strategies the NTS employed to maintain these connections, including the development of diverse forms of propaganda, the intensification of clandestine activities, and the expansion of operations in Western countries.
Adopting a multi-perspective approach, the dissertation seeks to reinterpret the history of the NTS and its alliances, contributing to the broader field of research on transnational anti-communism.

Dissertation project: Irina Parkhomenko
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Stefan Plaggenborg and Prof. Dr. Sören Urbansky

The first three decades of the Republic of Turkey witnessed significant political, social, and economic transformations. Following the end of the 27-year-long single-party regime, the Democratic Party (DP) assumed power, ushering in an era characterized by "democratization" and "economic development." This period, marked by ambitious visions of growth and prosperity, was also defined by political instability, internal conflicts, and profound social and economic changes. These shifts gave rise to new discussions about poverty as the darker side of development.
Poverty emerged as a complex and multidimensional social issue, entering public and political discourse more prominently. Migration, interregional social and economic disparities, urban overpopulation, and distorted urbanization transitioned from being temporary challenges to persistent problems. Moreover, the political and social conflicts of the 1970s—rooted in ideological and religious divides such as "left vs. right," "conservative vs. liberal," "Turkish vs. Kurdish," and "Sunni vs. Alevi"—were symptomatic of deeper social unrest.
Poverty exacerbated discrimination, inequality, social isolation, and a lack of mobility, leaving the poor excluded from opportunities to shape their futures or fully integrate into an evolving, modernizing society. This study examines the dynamics that shaped poverty in Turkey during this transformative period, exploring its underlying causes, diverse manifestations, and broader societal implications.

Dissertation project: Büşra Hanusrichter
Project supervision: Prof. Dr. Stefan Plaggenborg