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

Informations projet

CULTRAMACY

N° de convention de subvention: 795374

DOI

10.3030/795374

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 27 Février 2018

Date de début 1 Avril 2019

Date de fin 29 Septembre 2022

Financé au titre de

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coût total

€ 178 156,80

Contribution de l’UE

€ 178 156,80

Coordonné par

UNIVERSITAET GRAZ
Austria

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

Période du rapport: 2019-04-01 au 2021-03-31

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

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.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

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

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

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