Assoc. Prof. Enrique Santos Marinas
Email: esantos@filol.ucm.es
Affiliation: Department of German Philology and Slavic Philology, University Complutense of Madrid, Moncloa, Madrid, Spain
Research Interests: Myth Criticism; Myths of Origin in Central and East European Countries; Formation of National Identities of Central and East European Countries; Christian and pre-Christian Myths in the Role of Formation of National Identities
Over the past decades, the study of national identities has been profoundly shaped by competing theoretical paradigms. Foundational contributions by Benedict Anderson, Eric Hobsbawm, Ernest Gellner, and Anthony D. Smith have highlighted the constructed, symbolic, and historical dimensions of the nation, foregrounding the role of myth, memory, and tradition in processes of collective identification.
This Special Issue seeks to revisit and critically assess these historiographical traditions by focusing on mythologies as dynamic, historically contingent, and politically charged components of national identity formation. It aims to foster dialogue between different theoretical approaches and to encourage historically grounded analyses that interrogate how myths are produced, transmitted, institutionalized, and contested.
We particularly encourage contributions that:
• Analyze myth-making as a historiographical problem, exploring the boundaries between history, memory, and fiction
• Examine how myths are constructed, institutionalized, and disseminated through education, media, and political discourse
• Investigate the role of historians and intellectuals in producing or challenging national mythologies
• Explore conflicts of memory and competing mythologies within and across national contexts
• Address the transnational circulation of myths and their adaptation in different cultural settings, mostly in Central and East European cultures during the Contemporary, Modern, Early Modern, and Medieval periods.
myth criticism, myths of origin in central and east european countries, formation of national identities of central and east european countries, christian and pre-christian myths in the role of formation of national identities
