
Historian Stefan Rohdewald from Leipzig University edited it together with Ninja Bumann from Justus Liebig University Giessen, Kerstin Susanne Jobst from the University of Vienna and Stefan Troebst, former Vice Director of the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) and Professor Emeritus at Leipzig University. It has been published by De Gruyter Oldenbourg and is available free of charge via Open Access.
Region in the focus of world history
"The Black Sea region has been at the center of global conflicts since the 19th century," says Rohdewald. The individual articles on this region, which has been important in world politics for centuries, deal with historical topics as well as Russia’s current war against Ukraine. Following Russia’s occupation of Crimea in spring 2014 and the complete invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops in February 2022, the region has once again become the focus of world history. According to Rohdewald, oil and gas reserves still play a central role in the region’s conflicts today. The author Dr. Alexandr Osipian analyzes in his article "Straits, bridges and canals: The Black Sea Region and the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict 2014-22" the role of infrastructural factors in the Ukraine war. Rohdewald has written articles on the region’s energy infrastructure from the 19th century to the present day and on the mapping of the Black Sea.The handbook, written in English and not only aimed at experts, is a reference work on the history, memory and movement in this region. It is available as an eBook and as a hardback book and is divided into five parts. The first part deals with the history of the region and the countries to which it belonged in past centuries. The second part gives an overview of the structural history from antiquity to the present day. The third part deals with ethnic and religious identities, myths and the formation of legends in this region. Another section examines migration movements, knowledge mobility, infrastructure and raw materials. The final section analyzes the wars and conflicts in the Black Sea region and their solutions.
Bumann, Ninja, Jobst, Kerstin S., Rohdewald, Stefan and Troebst, Stefan:
Handbook on the History and Culture of the Black Sea Region
Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2025
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110723175
ISBN eBook: 9783110723175
ISBN Print: 9783110723113
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