How can communities rebuild and preserve identity after disaster?
On Wednesday 9 September 2026, IASH and the British Council partnered with the Royal Society of Edinburgh's CURIOUS Festival to offer a roundtable on rebuilding national identity after war or natural disaster. The full recording is available below.
Rebuilding after disaster involves more than restoring buildings and infrastructure. It also involves bold attempts at reviving ways of thinking about the world that have been forgotten, overlooked or suppressed. From Eastern Europe’s efforts to survive Soviet oppression, to Indigenous ideas about ecology, local communities around the world are looking for ways to talk about their experiences in a quest for justice. In this Curious conversation chaired by Christine Wilson of the British Council, three researchers explore how culture, storytelling and collective memory can help shape national identity in times of recovery and change. Dr Viktoria Bavykina examines the role of culture and the arts in Ukraine, and how it probes conventional historical narratives to offer a riposte to Russian imperialism. Dr Dustin Lalkulhpuia explores how Indigenous ideas of care, dignity and continuity can help address some of today’s most pressing global challenges. Via Shakespeare in translation, Dr Elsie C. Albis centres the experiences of survivors of natural disasters in the Philippines, highlighting their struggles in the context of climate change.
You can view the full recording on YouTube or below.