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'The Past Always Remains a Part of the Present'

Sergey Medakin

Holds a bachelor's in History of Art from HSE University. Two-time medallist and winner of the Higher League Olympiad in History for students and graduates of HSE University. Research Assistant at the International Laboratory for the Study of Russian and European Intellectual Dialogue. In 2023, he initiated and organised the All-Russian Conference titled ‘The Past in the Present: Images of the Past in Popular Culture.’ He is enrolled in the Master's Programme in History of the Modern World. Starting in the 2024/25 academic year, he is a Visiting Lecturer at the HSE School of History.

Sergey Medakin began his career as an art historian by studying Sabaton, a Swedish power metal band, and is now focusing on German studies. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he discusses his favourite Soviet and Western political cartoons, the scientific conference he founded, and the relevance of the past in modern culture.

Why I Decided to Pursue Science

I have been passionate about history and art since childhood and loved reading various encyclopaedias as I grew up. Initially, I enrolled in the International Relations programme at HSE University but soon realised my true interest lay in the classical humanities, so I switched to the History of Art programme.

My journey into academia began at the end of my first year when I reached out to Alexandra Kolesnik, the most important person for me at HSE University, and suggested a collaboration. She specialises in popular music, and I proposed a topic related to the Swedish heavy power metal band, Sabaton.

The band's entire body of work is centred around representing the past. Their songs tell the stories of various military events, ranging from the Battle of Thermopylae to the capture of Berlin and the war in Iraq. For several years, I studied popular music under the supervision of Alexandra Kolesnik. Thanks to her, I was also able to participate in research projects at the Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities (IGITI) and became her teaching assistant in the public history minor.

What Sabaton Sings About

Like many others with an interest in history, I have been listening to this band since high school.

In Russia, one well-known Sabaton song is ‘Poltava,’ dedicated to the Battle of Poltava. Like the entire Carolus Rex album, it reconstructs the events of Swedish history in the 17th and 18th centuries and highlights the role played by Swedish monarchs during that time. The band members strive to present historical events objectively in their lyrics, without praising or condemning either side.

Photo: HSE University

The Subject of My Research Now

Having started with Popular Music Studies and public history, I simultaneously took up German Studies, as the history and culture of Germany have always fascinated me. Currently, my main focus is the history of German culture, Soviet-German relations in the 20th century, and the representation of the past in Soviet propaganda.

Despite the many twists and turns of the 20th and 21st centuries, Germany remains an important actor in international relations for Russia. The political situation can change rapidly, and conflicts sometimes last for decades, but despite this, there is always room for cooperation. Loud political statements may be made, but communication continues. The same can be observed in propaganda, where yesterday's opponent becomes today's partner, only to turn into a rival once again, and so on in a continuous cycle.

I defended my thesis with the excellent grade on the topic ‘German Dichotomy: Images of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic in Soviet Propaganda of the 1960s and Early 1970s.’ In addition to posters and cartoons, the sources I used included animated propaganda materials, which began to be actively produced during and after World War II. These are short films, typically between 5 and 10 minutes long, created by animators in collaboration with cartoonists.

A shot from the animated film 'A Lesson Not Learned,' directed by Valentin Karavaev, artist Boris Efimov, Soyuzmultfilm, 1971.
A shot from the animated film 'A Lesson Not Learned,' directed by Valentin Karavaev, artist Boris Efimov, Soyuzmultfilm, 1971.
©️ Soyuzmultfilm

The main cartoonist in the USSR was…

Boris Efimov. One of my favourite cartoons of his is titled 'Which Hand?' and depicts a stereotypical West German official as he holds two 'warmongers' behind his back—the current Chancellor of Germany Konrad Adenauer and the mayor of West Berlin and future Chancellor Willy Brandt. The cartoon was created for the 1961 elections in Germany, in which the main competing parties were the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. The message of Efimov's cartoon was that both were equally detrimental to the German public. The character offered to choose between them is Michael who personifies the Germans and is somewhat similar in this sense to Ivan the Fool personifying the Russians. The cartoon was clearly intended for a West German audience and could be distributed in translation through various means, including illegally.

Boris Efimov, ‘Which hand?’ 1961
Boris Efimov, ‘Which hand?’ 1961
©️ Krokodil Magazine

Typically, cartoonists chose the themes and characters for their works independently. The main satirical magazine was Krokodil, where Efimov published regularly. He created many iconic Soviet cartoon characters, such as fat capitalists in tailcoats and top hats, bloodthirsty Nazis, American generals, and more. Along with his colleagues, he mentored several generations of artists who continued to use these templates.

Was there a similarly popular cartoonist in the West?

One of the most famous was Fritz Behrendt, a German and Dutch political cartoonist. He contributed to the New York Times, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Punch, and many other newspapers and magazines, often depicting Soviet politicians.

Fritz Behrendt. ‘Khrushchev and his trump cards in a political game with US President Kennedy,’ 1963
Fritz Behrendt. ‘Khrushchev and his trump cards in a political game with US President Kennedy,’ 1963
©️ Fritz Behrendt

One of my favourite cartoons of his plays on Soviet propaganda tropes, which are well known to readers and artists in the West. In it, Brezhnev is gazing at two portraits. In one, Willy Brandt is depicted with weapons and slogans from Soviet propaganda ('Bonn militarism,' 'imperialism'), while in the other, he is shown with a dove of peace and a Nobel Prize. The title was 'New Look in Moscow—and in East Berlin?' referring to the surging popularity of the West German chancellor in socialist countries and how quickly Soviet propaganda began to portray the former 'warmonger' as a 'peacemaker.'

Fritz Behrendt ‘New look in Moscow - and in East Berlin?’ 1973
Fritz Behrendt ‘New look in Moscow - and in East Berlin?’ 1973
©️ Fritz Behrendt

What I Take Pride In

The conference ‘The Past in the Present: Images of the Past in Popular Culture,’ which I created and organised in 2023. The idea for this conference originated from the public history minor, where I studied for two years. It included a course titled 'Images of the Past in Popular Culture,' in which we explored how history is presented in the mass consciousness outside of academia. We examined how ordinary people with an interest in history perceive historical narratives in literature, cinema, and video games, and how they create their own images of the past through fanfiction or musical covers.

Initially, we expected to receive thirty to forty applications for the conference, but we ended up with just under two hundred submissions from all over the world—including the USA, Germany, France, Italy, China, and India.

The past always remains a part of the present, and the so-called historical culture—mass representations of the past, its interpretations, and images—is becoming an increasingly important and integral aspect of popular culture.

Photo: HSE University

My Dreams

In the future, I would love to establish a research centre or laboratory for interdisciplinary German studies at HSE University, which would focus not only on Germany but also on Austria, Switzerland, and other Central European countries. The importance of German-speaking countries in international politics, economics, and culture is hard to overstate, yet we have relatively few large, foundational centres dedicated to these fields: the Russian-German Centre for Study and Research at Russian State University for the Humanities, the Centre for German Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and several departments at St Petersburg State University. HSE University has all the prerequisites for creating such a centre: the Master's Programme ‘Germanica: History and Modernity' and many specialists in the philosophy, culture, and history of Germany working at our university.

Photo: HSE University

To me, science is about love. Not the kind of infatuation or romantic love, but the everyday kind of love that requires consistent effort, primarily directed at evolving yourself and then at the material you are working with.

Being a scientist means continuous development and improvement. You can't consider yourself a great scientist just by publishing an article in a collection or speaking at a conference. You need to understand that there is still much to explore, and that even a major study is just a drop in the vast ocean of knowledge.

If I Hadn't Become a Scientist

I could have become a teacher—perhaps teaching history or World Art Culture. Currently, alongside my studies and research, I teach art history at the Association of Olympiad Winners. In the 2024/25 academic year, I have also been invited to teach a course on Russian history at the HSE School of History.

Another option could have been a career in medicine. In high school, I seriously considered pursuing a medical degree, but I tend to be overly sensitive and would likely struggle with the hands-on aspects of medical practice.

Scientists I Would Like to Meet

Dr Stefan R. Landsberger, a Dutch scientist, professor at Leiden and Amsterdam Universities, and Honorary Fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.

He was one of the world's largest collectors of propaganda art, primarily from China. He also managed one of the world's largest archives of political history and studied the Chinese propaganda system for several decades.

Photo: HSE University

My Interests Beyond Science

I studied at art school for nine years, and I love playing the piano. This also helps me unwind and relax, or, conversely, express emotions. This serves as a great emotional release after scientific work, and Chopin, especially his 'Heroic Polonaise,' is perfect for calming and recovery.

Advice for Budding Scientists

First and foremost, always do what you love. If you are passionate about science and believe it is what you want to pursue, give it your all and don't hesitate to ask for help or guidance from senior colleagues or peers.

Second, don't be afraid to view a topic which may seem familiar and well-understood to you from someone else's perspective.

My Favourite Place in Moscow

I have two. The first is the Kitay-Gorod neighbourhood, especially Starosadsky Lane, where the Public Historical Library and the Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Cathedral are located. It is a very beautiful, quiet, and cozy place that has partly preserved the atmosphere of multicultural Moscow before the 1917 Revolution.

The second is Rogozhskaya Sloboda, not far from the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. I am a descendant of the Rogozhsky Old Believers, and for me, this is a special place not only because of its preserved architecture. This is a historic district where one can experience the Old Believers' Moscow, which even in the 18th century was considered obscure and exotic.