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

Información del proyecto

CULTRAMACY

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 795374

DOI

10.3030/795374

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de la firma de la CE 27 Febrero 2018

Fecha de inicio 1 Abril 2019

Fecha de finalización 29 Septiembre 2022

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 178 156,80

Aportación de la UE

€ 178 156,80

Coordinado por

UNIVERSITAET GRAZ
Austria

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

Período documentado: 2019-04-01 hasta 2021-03-31

Resumen del contexto y de los objetivos generales del proyecto

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.

Trabajo realizado desde el comienzo del proyecto hasta el final del período abarcado por el informe y los principales resultados hasta la fecha

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

Avances que van más allá del estado de la técnica e impacto potencial esperado (incluida la repercusión socioeconómica y las implicaciones sociales más amplias del proyecto hasta la fecha)

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