In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jacob Mikanowski about the past and present history of Eastern Europe. They define the contours of Eastern Europe and why this region is often forgotten. They talk about the Slavs possibly originating from Romania, Ashkenazi Jews, Paganism, Christianity, and Judaism in Eastern Europe. They talk about Muslim majority countries in Eastern Europe, impact of the Ottoman Empire, the “almost empire” of Poland-Lithuania, and Transylvania. They also discuss language and nationalism, modernization in the 20th century, communism, and many more topics.

Jacob Mikanowski is a writer and journalist who focuses on on many topics within art, anthropology, and history. He has been studying the history of Eastern Europe for many years and his writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and many other places. He is the author of the latest book, Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of A Divided Land.

Website: https://jacob-mikanowski.com/

Twitter: @jmikanowski

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