SUMMARY:

Alexander Filiushkin's introduction to the discussion on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as an object of historical memory and professional historiography points out that the Grand Duchy's history proper has been understudied. At the same time, confusion reigns as to which particular state – Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, or Ukraine – has the right to claim the legacy of the Grand Duchy. Filiushkin suggests that the national projects claiming the legacy of the Duchy rest on three primary categories of “land”, “people”, and “state”. Thus, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian national projects focus on “land” (for Grand Duchy of Lithuania included territories that belonged to Kievan Rus and thus considered as their “ancestry domain” by Russia, Belarus and Ukraine). The category of "land" in these projects is inextricably linked to that of the “people”, and the abovementioned projects point out that the majority of the Grand Duchy's population were “Russian”
In the Lithuanian national project the Grand Duchy is a glorious ancestor, whose main task was to unite the peoples of Eastern Europe against the aggression of Muscovy, whereas in the Polish national project the Grand Duchy is an example of a uniquely successful cultural project, a shining page of European history. Filiushkin lists contributions to the forum and briefly outlines questions posited before the participants.