Department of Slavonic Studies

Polish at Cambridge: Annual Zdanowich Lectures

'Rethinking the Historial Canon: the Priorities and Casualties of Mainstream History'                                                           

 

Thursday 4 October 2012, 5pm
The Winstanley Theatre, Trinity College
Cambridge CB2 1TQ

Guest Lecture by Professor Norman Davies, FBA
Hosted by Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge

The Department of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge taught Polish language, literature and history from 1960 to 1999. This event is held to celebrate the longstanding presence of Polish in Cambridge, and in order to raise awareness of the potential to re-establish this presence.

Norman Davies is one of the most prominent historians in Europe today. His works on various aspects of European history are read by millions around the world. Professor Davies has covered an impressive range of topics throughout his career, and yet it is clear that Poland retains a special significance for him. His seminal works on Poland have made the country known to the wider world, yet have also contributed greatly to Poles’ own understanding of their history. For this reason Norman Davies also retains a special significance for Poland.

 

 

This lecture was braodcast live in Poland through Gazeta Wyborcza . Professor Davies challenges the traditional geographical and national frameworks of mainstream history, asking searching questions as to the future of histories of central and eastern Europe. The questions that underlie his lecture-in particular the centrality of Poland and the necessity of it's study- are fundamental to Cambridge University's vision for Polish Studies.

Norman Davies from Memory at War on Vimeo.