Jacob Mikanowski contemplates the tumultuous history of Eastern Europe through the eyes of his ancestors, and considers if the cultural identity of the region is at risk of disappearing entirely
Eastern Europe has been the setting for some of history’s most climactic events. Yet barely 30 years since the collapse of Communism heralded the so-called “end of history”, are we now witnessing the region’s disappearance? Speaking with Danny Bird, Jacob Mikanowski discusses how eastern Europe’s unique diversity of cultures, traditions and ideologies has endured through the Ottoman empire and the Soviet Union, and wonders if the cultural identity of the region is at risk of disappearing entirely.
Jacob Mikanowski is the author of Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land (Oneworld, 2023)