Ivana Polić obtained her Ph.D. in Modern European History at the University of California San Diego but received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in her home country, Croatia. Growing up in a war-torn society served as her motivator to become even more curious about the ways in which humans resist, survive and remember such tumultuous events. She is especially interested in the history of children and youth and the ways in which they have been critical for global, large-scale processes like state and nation building, but also for questions related to education and entertainment. Dr. Polić is currently in the process of developing a book project that grew out of her dissertation research, which explored the role of children in wartime nation building in Croatia after the country declared independence from socialist Yugoslavia and a violent ethnic conflict erupted within its borders. Her additional research interests involve the relationship between music and politics, as well as history and memory – all topics that include interdisciplinary approaches from history, media and communication studies as well as sociological and anthropological insights. She particularly enjoys teaching about topics related to Eastern Europe, a region with an incredible diversity and cultural richness that has often been a subject of many misconceptions. Besides teaching, Dr. Polić also served as an expert historian consultant for textbook revision projects in Southeastern Europe and has helped create digital content that brings humanities research to audiences around the world through podcasts and interviews. Having been exposed to both European and U.S. public and private educational settings has been fundamental in shaping her teaching approaches, which revolve around active learning as a platform for community building, and creating an environment which acknowledges and encourages students’ input and experiences.
Alongside teaching and mentoring, she enjoys traveling (especially summers in Croatia), reading, outdoor activities, dancing and watching Eastern European and Balkan movies (as Balkan humor is truly a cultural gem).
War of the Mind? Conflict and Contested Memory
How do our societies choose to remember? Memories of the past not only inform our own identities, but also serve as critical indicators of how our community members envision themselves and their heritage. Throughout several conflict case studies, each of which carries its own unique chronological, political and sociocultural impact and memory platforms - American Civil War, Second World War (and the Holocaust), Yugoslav Wars and current conflict in Ukraine - we will tackle some difficult questions that help us understand why historical and collective memory can serve as both a foundational pillar of society’s values but also a point of extremely controversial debates that oftentimes hinder reconciliation and peacebuilding efforts. We will begin the class by examining the main concepts of memory studies and then explore how we can apply them in the context of these different case studies and their specific characteristics. By utilizing various sources that include historical scholarship, film, photography, literature and music, students will have an opportunity to investigate issues they consider important through tasks that include analyzing a museum exhibition and creating a virtual exhibition of their own, presenting a case study of monument(s) or monument mapping and engaging with oral history sources and popular culture products.
“Always Prepared!:”Childhood in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Societies
This unique course centers on the historically specific visions and experiences of a life stage that we all have survived but rarely think of as an object of humanistic study: childhood. Focusing on a wide spectrum of historical sources, literature, media and film, this course explores the significance of children and childhood in authoritarian and totalitarian societies of the twentieth century. In particular, we will look at Nazi Germany and communist Eastern Europe and Soviet Union, but other case studies may also include China, Vietnam, Japan, Chile and Argentina in order to provide opportunities for comparative analysis and expose some misconceptions commonly associated with these regimes. Starting with the historical approaches to studying child and childhood, the syllabus will guide us in exploring the various layers of children’s centrality in not only upholding and personifying state ideology but also waging war and acting as cultural diplomats. Students will be able to critically approach these topics through the analysis of primary sources targeting children (textbooks, entertainment products and consumer items), film and memoir reviews, examination of digital collections of oral history and creative multimedia projects of various formats that showcase topics of student interests.