Professor Christian Raffensperger - The War in Ukraine: Past is Present

The War in Ukraine: Past is Present – Professor Christian Raffensperger, Professor and Chair of History, Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, USA The Russian invasion in Ukraine of February 2022 surprised many people throughout the West, but for the Ukrainians and some Russians and other eastern Europeans it was presaged by history in both word and deed. Christian Raffensperger will talk about the past of the region and how it impacts the present war, including analysing the claims made by Vladimir Putin, and talking about the impact of current events on the crisis. Professor Raffensperger’s academic goal has remained the same since the completion of his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago (2006)—the integration of the medieval polity of Rus into the larger medieval European world. This theme is present throughout his research and teaching. His first book, released by Harvard University Press in 2012, won the Ohio Academy of History Publication Award in 2013 and is titled, Reimagining Europe: Kievan Rus’ in the Medieval World, 988–1146.