TO DESTROY OR TO PRESERVE? MONUMENTS, LAW AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE

Project Information

MELoDYE

Grant agreement ID: 101032010

DOI

10.3030/101032010

Project closed

EC signature date 15 March 2021

Start date 1 May 2021

End date 29 April 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 178 320,00

EU contribution

€ 178 320,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITEIT GENT
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MELoDYE (TO DESTROY OR TO PRESERVE? MONUMENTS, LAW AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE)

Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2023-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

TO DESTROY OR TO PRESERVE? MONUMENTS, LAW AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE (MELoDYE) When the past is contested, the monuments are the first to be destroyed. Over centuries, the totalitarian regimes removed the monuments they did not agree with. Should the democracies then follow this path?
Amid the discussions over the monuments and controversial legacies they represent, the essential questions are usually ignored: How should the monuments that evoke opposite meanings within and across societies be treated? What should be done about the monuments whose messages are incompatible with fundamental constitutional values and human rights, including non-discrimination, and peaceful coexistence? – To destroy or to preserve?
Over centuries, the totalitarian regimes removed the monuments they did not agree with. Should the democracies then follow this path?
-----Objectives and research questions-----
MELoDYE considers European memory policies and commemorative practices (with a special focus on monuments) in the context of democracy and the rule of law to answer the questions:
• How should commemorative symbols be constructed, maintained, or revised to ensure free speech and European solidarity?
• What should be the legal standards for memory policies and public commemorative practices in a democracy?

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Throughout the project, the researcher was actively involved in both the scientific and administrative dimensions of the work. She engaged in legal and interdisciplinary research, examined national memory laws, and participated in academic events to present findings and refine methodologies. Her involvement also included organizing lectures and conferences to disseminate results and foster dialogue among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
In addition, intensive training at UGent significantly enhanced her capacity to contribute to and lead in the field. The project produced several academic publications and practical recommendations, contributing to broader debates on memory policies in democratic societies.

Publications:
Cherviatsova A., 135 Days. On shock, in: Verfassungsblog, 08/07/2022, https://verfassungsblog.de/135-days/

Cherviatsova A., Controlling the Past: the recent developments in Russia’s memory policy, in: HR in Context blog, 06/08/21, https://www.humanrightsincontext.be/post/controlling-the-past-the-recent-developments-in-russia-s-memory-policy

Cherviatsova A., Smothered by Russia’s Brotherly Embrace: Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians and Russia’s Geopolitical Claims, in: Verfassungsblog, 04/08/2021, https://verfassungsblog.de/smothered-by-russias-brotherly-embrace/


Cherviatsova A., ‘Hybrid War and Hybrid Law: the Minsk Agreements in the Context of International Law and Ukrainian Legislation’, in: David Marples (ed.) Russian Policy and the War the Central European University Press (2022) https://ceupress.com/book/war-ukraines-donbas

Cherviatsova A., ‘Debunking Myth of Royal Gift or How Ukraine Got the Crimea’, in: Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, Vol.6 n.2 2020 https://spps-jspps.autorenbetreuung.de/en/jspps/current-issue.html
Reprinted in: A Guerra na Ucrânia e o Direito Internacional: debates atuais / Sven Peterke, Tarciso Dal Maso Jardim (organizadores). – Curitiba : CRV, 2023.444 p.


Cherviatsova A., ‘Ukrainian Memory Laws and Policy before 2014: Overcoming the Past’, forthcoming in: The Politics of Memory Laws in Times of War: Russia, Ukraine and Beyond (eds. Uladzislau Belavusau, Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias, Maria Mälksoo and Angelika Nußberger) forthcoming Hart Publishing

Cherviatsova A., ‘Memory Laws in Time of War: Russia’s Mnemonic Aggression and Ukraine’s Self-Defense’, forthcoming in: The Global Studies Quarterly

Interviews:
The magazine of the Marie Curie Alumni Association: ‘Questioning our statues and monuments’ (published in Issue 30. March 2022) https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/newsletters/30th-mcaa-newsletter
The UGenter’s Magazin; published in Issue 7, August 2022
‘De Morgen’ Alina Cherviatsova, Oekraïense mensenrechtenspecialiste in België: ‘Het humanitair recht is niet gewoon geschonden, maar vernederd’ https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/alina-cherviatsova-oekraiense-mensenrechtenspecialiste-in-belgie-het-humanitair-recht-is-niet-gewoon-geschonden-maar-vernederd~b00a8e88/

Forthcoming publications:

Cherviatsova A., ‘Ukrainian Memory Laws and Policy before 2014: Overcoming the Past’, forthcoming in: The Politics of Memory Laws in Times of War: Russia, Ukraine and Beyond (eds. Uladzislau Belavusau, Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias, Maria Mälksoo and Angelika Nußberger) Hart Publishing

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Originality and innovative aspects of the planned research
MELoDYE is original in its approach, noble and ambitious in its goal: (i) it uses monuments as a lens to analyze memory conflicts and memory wars in Europe; (ii) it challenges the existing concept of public commemoration and European memory policies; (iii) it elaborates a set of constitutional principles – mnemoconstitutionalism – to guide monument-related decisions to ensure democracy, the rule of law and historical reconciliation within a society or between states.
Enhancing Innovation Capacity and Societal Benefits
MELoDYE significantly enhances innovation capacity and brings important benefits to society, particularly in the field of memory politics and international relations. Although the project primarily focuses on historical and political aspects, it has broader implications for societal needs and policy-making at the regional and European levels.
The project introduces new frameworks for understanding and addressing contested monuments as well as European memory politics, particularly in the context of Russia's aggression. These frameworks can be utilized by policymakers, educators, and researchers to foster a more nuanced approach to historical narratives.

Lenin in childhood: Lenin’s repainted monument survived in Kharkiv (Ukraine), May 2021