Open access quarterly “Politologija” (Eng. Politology) announced the special issue dedicated to Memory Activism and Public History. This special issue is a part of the ongoing project “Facing the Past. Public History for a Stronger Europe (EUROPAST)” coordinated by Vilnius University.
The goal of this special issue is to examine how monuments, museums and institutions have been used (or abused) to shape and communicate historical narratives, and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to the topic. Does the “memory activism” approach help to reconcile history and memory, as individual and collective memories become part of public history projects, or is it loaded with assumptions about the identity, intentions, and methods of “memory activists”? Are the normative concerns of “public history” with citizen engagement, professional standards, and the strengthening of democracy relevant to the case studies in question? Is the professionalization of heritage practices and the engagement of citizens by “public historians” in the co-creation of history a truly global phenomenon, or is it found primarily in consolidated democracies?
Studies on the following list of processes and actors (which is only illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive) that pay attention to how they engage in the uses of history (education, reconciliation, memory politics, etc), the communication of history (exhibitions, media, etc), the interpretation of history, and the management of sources.
- The erection or dismantling of monuments, the renaming of streets;
- The development of museum exhibitions, approaches to curation;
- The development of historical curricula and programs in schools;
- The activities of memory institutions (e.g. Institute of National Memory in Poland or the International Commission for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in Lithuania);
- National political actors not primarily engaged in public history (e.g. party leaders, ministries of Defence, Interior, etc);
- National grass-roots organizations (e.g. Sąjūdis);
- Transnational networks (e.g. International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance).
Deadline for article submission: 20 August, 2023.
“Politologija” is a peer-reviewed political science journal which since 2012 is indexed in Scopus. It is the main academic periodical in Lithuania, encompassing all subjects of political science and international relations as well as interdisciplinary topics.
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