Tuesday November 23, 2010 2:30 - 4:00 pm
317 Thomson Hall
Sabrina Ramet, Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, and Senior Research Associate at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo

reecas@uw.edu

Myths of founding or of martyrdom can play important roles in legitimating states, their boundaries, or their dynasties, although there are differences between the uses to which myths of founding are typically put and the uses to which myths of martyrdom are put. In this lecture, Professor Ramet looks at the myths of Prince Lazar of Serbia, King Arthur of England, and King Olav Haraldsson of Norway, with passing references to the myth of King Istvan of Hungary, noting the political uses made of these myths. She also discusses some plausible alternative candidates for the role played by Prince Lazar in Serbia.

Sabrina P. Ramet is a professor of political science at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, and a senior research associate at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo. Born in London, England, she received her undergraduate degree in philosophy at Stanford University, her MA in international relations from the University of Arkansas, and her Ph.D. in political science at UCLA. She is the author of 12 scholarly books and editor or co-editor of 24 scholarly books, most recently of CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN POLITICS SINCE 1989, published by Cambridge University Press in spring 2010. She taught at the University of Washington from 1983 until 2001, when she moved to Norway to take up her present positions.