Periodic Reporting for period 1 - POPOLACOP (Political Polarisation and Communist Past: Czech and German Case)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-01-01 bis 2025-12-31
The project aimed to analyse the role of selected organisations of victims of political persecution in the Czech Republic and Germany between 1989 and 2019, i.e. during the key phase of democratic transformation and the consolidation of memory policies in both countries. The project focused on three of the most important and politically influential associations whose activities have had a real impact on memory policy and public debate on the communist past over the last three decades. One of the project's goals was to address the lack of consideration given to the role of victim organisations in previous research, where they were often perceived primarily as moral authorities and unambiguously positive actors in democratisation. The main goal was to understand how narratives emerged and transformed among victims of the communist dictatorship, the value systems of their organisations, and how these were transmitted within the associations and to wider society.
The project analysed victim organisations as actors who actively engaged in the politics of memory, focusing on how they sought to influence legislative processes in relation to memory laws, and the extent to which they participated in the creation of memorials, museums, and other memory institutions. Particular attention was paid to how their value framework changed over time, how dominant narratives evolved and how successful they were in promoting their own goals within the political, educational and broader social spheres. The comparative approach enabled the similarities and differences between the two countries to be captured, contributing to a stronger grasp of how the concept of victimhood was constructed in post-communist countries. It also illuminated the institutional, cultural, and political factors that influenced this process and explained the persistently high level of frustration evident among victims of communist dictatorships in both countries.
The original methodological framework, which focused primarily on the concepts of polarisation and narrative, was expanded to include the concepts of victimhood and the related politics of victimhood. In the project, victimhood is not understood as a fixed status resulting from past suffering, but rather as a dynamic, socially constructed category arising from constant negotiation between victims, the state, political institutions, society and other actors. This approach enables analysis of how the experience of persecution is interpreted, institutionalised and recognised at legal, symbolic and political levels, and how it transforms into claims for moral authority and political recognition. On this basis, the Contextual Victimhood Framework was developed.
The project provides findings based on empirical research that can be used in future to inform memory policies, educational strategies and the work of memory institutions. This is important in the current political context, which is characterised not only by the rise of populism and extremism, but also by disputes over the interpretation of the past. The project emphasises the important role of the humanities, particularly history, psychology, and memory studies, in analysing the long-term effects of trauma and value conflicts on democratic coexistence in post-authoritarian societies.
The project analysed victim organisations as actors who actively engaged in the politics of memory, focusing on how they sought to influence legislative processes in relation to memory laws, and the extent to which they participated in the creation of memorials, museums, and other memory institutions. Particular attention was paid to how their value framework changed over time, how dominant narratives evolved and how successful they were in promoting their own goals within the political, educational and broader social spheres. The comparative approach enabled the similarities and differences between the two countries to be captured, contributing to a stronger grasp of how the concept of victimhood was constructed in post-communist countries. It also illuminated the institutional, cultural, and political factors that influenced this process and explained the persistently high level of frustration evident among victims of communist dictatorships in both countries.
The original methodological framework, which focused primarily on the concepts of polarisation and narrative, was expanded to include the concepts of victimhood and the related politics of victimhood. In the project, victimhood is not understood as a fixed status resulting from past suffering, but rather as a dynamic, socially constructed category arising from constant negotiation between victims, the state, political institutions, society and other actors. This approach enables analysis of how the experience of persecution is interpreted, institutionalised and recognised at legal, symbolic and political levels, and how it transforms into claims for moral authority and political recognition. On this basis, the Contextual Victimhood Framework was developed.
The project provides findings based on empirical research that can be used in future to inform memory policies, educational strategies and the work of memory institutions. This is important in the current political context, which is characterised not only by the rise of populism and extremism, but also by disputes over the interpretation of the past. The project emphasises the important role of the humanities, particularly history, psychology, and memory studies, in analysing the long-term effects of trauma and value conflicts on democratic coexistence in post-authoritarian societies.
The project involved systematic research activities focused on analysing the role of victim organisations in shaping memory policies in the Czech Republic and Germany after 1989. Taking a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, the research combined history, psychology, memory studies and transitional justice. A qualitative analysis of archival sources, internal documents of selected organisations, their publications and public appearances was supplemented by a comparative analysis of the Czech and German contexts and a study of secondary literature. The Contextual Victimhood Framework was the key analytical tool, making it possible to track changes in victim narratives, value frameworks, and the mechanisms by which these were transferred to the political and social spheres
.
The project's main scientific outcomes are: identifying key mechanisms through which the experience of political persecution was transformed into a narrative of victims with a claim to moral authority; periodising the development of victimhood discourses from 1989 to 2019; providing a comparative account of the differences and similarities between the Czech and German cases; and analysing the historical development of individual organisations, particularly the Confederation of Political Prisoners, and their role in shaping memory laws. The project has given new information about how people and groups in civil society can affect memory policies and how their basic beliefs can, in some situations, lead to the strengthening of democratic practices as well as the deepening of social division.
.
The project's main scientific outcomes are: identifying key mechanisms through which the experience of political persecution was transformed into a narrative of victims with a claim to moral authority; periodising the development of victimhood discourses from 1989 to 2019; providing a comparative account of the differences and similarities between the Czech and German cases; and analysing the historical development of individual organisations, particularly the Confederation of Political Prisoners, and their role in shaping memory laws. The project has given new information about how people and groups in civil society can affect memory policies and how their basic beliefs can, in some situations, lead to the strengthening of democratic practices as well as the deepening of social division.
This project builds on existing knowledge by offering a new conceptualisation of the role of victim organisations in post-communist societies. While previous research has largely viewed political prisoners and victim organisations as pro-democratic actors, focusing primarily on their moral legitimacy, this project demonstrates that victimhood is shaped by more than just the victim's experience of repression. Rather, it arises from the interaction between the political and social environment, and the prevailing memory frameworks. Victim organisations' mobilisation resources also play an important role, as does competition between different types of victims.
A key result beyond the current state of knowledge is the formulation of the Contextual Victimhood Framework, which was created in the project as an integrative analytical tool. This framework systematically links existing approaches to the study of victimhood, transitional justice, memory politics and political context. It enables us to identify the mechanisms through which claims to suffering, recognition and moral authority are constructed, stabilised or transformed. The framework enables us to understand how victimhood has changed, track the processes by which claims for recognition and justice are created and transformed, and compare them across different cases.
In terms of empirical research, this project goes beyond previous studies by providing a fully comparative analysis of two countries with the same historical experience of communist persecution, but with different memory policies. At the same time, it provides a longitudinal analysis before and after 1989, describing the internal dynamics and public narratives of victim organisations. This long timeframe enables the gradual processes of radicalisation, stabilisation or fragmentation of victimhood narratives to be captured, which remain invisible in short-term analyses. The comparative design also demonstrates that similar experiences of repression can result in significantly different consequences in politics of memory, depending on national memory regimes, institutional opportunities and the organisational landscape.
In terms of potential impact and further use, the results suggest new avenues for researching victimhood in other post-authoritarian and post-conflict contexts, including those outside of post-communist Europe. The Contextual Victimhood Framework can be transferred to environments where different types of memory compete with each other for recognition. Future research could build on this by comparing other European cases, including non-post-communist contexts such as Northern Ireland. The project also lays the conceptual groundwork for a planned monograph and a future ERC grant application focused on a comparative analysis of the development of victimhood in Europe.
While the project remains primarily academic, its conclusions also have the potential to inform expert and political discussions on democratic resilience, memory management and addressing conflicted pasts in politically polarised societies.
A key result beyond the current state of knowledge is the formulation of the Contextual Victimhood Framework, which was created in the project as an integrative analytical tool. This framework systematically links existing approaches to the study of victimhood, transitional justice, memory politics and political context. It enables us to identify the mechanisms through which claims to suffering, recognition and moral authority are constructed, stabilised or transformed. The framework enables us to understand how victimhood has changed, track the processes by which claims for recognition and justice are created and transformed, and compare them across different cases.
In terms of empirical research, this project goes beyond previous studies by providing a fully comparative analysis of two countries with the same historical experience of communist persecution, but with different memory policies. At the same time, it provides a longitudinal analysis before and after 1989, describing the internal dynamics and public narratives of victim organisations. This long timeframe enables the gradual processes of radicalisation, stabilisation or fragmentation of victimhood narratives to be captured, which remain invisible in short-term analyses. The comparative design also demonstrates that similar experiences of repression can result in significantly different consequences in politics of memory, depending on national memory regimes, institutional opportunities and the organisational landscape.
In terms of potential impact and further use, the results suggest new avenues for researching victimhood in other post-authoritarian and post-conflict contexts, including those outside of post-communist Europe. The Contextual Victimhood Framework can be transferred to environments where different types of memory compete with each other for recognition. Future research could build on this by comparing other European cases, including non-post-communist contexts such as Northern Ireland. The project also lays the conceptual groundwork for a planned monograph and a future ERC grant application focused on a comparative analysis of the development of victimhood in Europe.
While the project remains primarily academic, its conclusions also have the potential to inform expert and political discussions on democratic resilience, memory management and addressing conflicted pasts in politically polarised societies.