Normalizing a Difficult Past? Cultural trauma and collective memory in Austria and Croatia

Projektinformationen

CULTRAMACY

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 795374

DOI

10.3030/795374

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 27 Februar 2018

Startdatum 1 April 2019

Enddatum 29 September 2022

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten

€ 178 156,80

EU-Beitrag

€ 178 156,80

Koordiniert durch

UNIVERSITAET GRAZ
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CULTRAMACY (Normalizing a Difficult Past? Cultural trauma and collective memory in Austria and Croatia)

Berichtszeitraum: 2019-04-01 bis 2021-03-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

The project dealt with the impact of trauma on the collective memory of wars in Austria and Croatia. In particular two corresponding forces are explained: cultural trauma - representing a response to the alteration of collective identity, and collective memory - acting as a cohesive element for group identity.
The current societal challenges, with migration/traveling of memory across borders and generations, can be researched with a similar methodology. This project has identified major gaps and divergences in historical discourses which make burdensome heritage often difficult to overcome and explored how dealing with negative heritage acts as a unifying force among (young) Europeans.
Three main objectives were explored in the framework of the study: 1) repercussions of trauma on collective and individual, as well as cultural and public memories, 2) traveling of memory through time and space - generational and transcultural transmission of memory, 3) analysis of patterns of European memory.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

This project first analyzed print and video media outlets in order to grasp the official politics of memory and representation of selected commemorative practices.
Moreover, it researched the attitudes of Austrian and Croatian youth and history teachers on a wide range of topics like history education, but also political participation.
The summary of previous work set the basis for the analysis of elements/patterns of transcultural memory on the wider, European level.

The finding of the research project contained (so far) one special issue, five peer-reviewed journal articles, and three peer-reviewed book chapters. The project is being presented both at the academic and non-academic level

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

This project went against the trap of methodological nationalism and instead tries to work on the community level in order to grasp how memories are negotiated, changed, and socially produced. I offered a new perspective for research on the difficult past and communicated the results to wider society. Some research results are presented as a repot which will be used in future guidelines for history education.

Round table in Eltz castle in Vukovar

My winning photo for the cover of the Nationalities Papers journal

Staff meeting in the time of pandemics