Memory and South East Europe: Global currents of activism and contestation

Europe/London
Description

Memory has always been a contentious topic in South East Europe, and recent events fit in a much longer process of memory contestation. In May, there was outrage and protest in response to a Mass held in Sarajevo for the Bleiberg commemoration, while in June human rights organisations expressed concern about a Croatian Court ruling which stated that singer Marko Perković Thompson did not violate public order by chanting a controversial nationalist World War II slogan at a concert. Furthermore, memory and its contestation have global currents. While regional commentators have remarked on the continuities in discourse between regional nationalisms and the European Far-Right, there are also countless examples of transnational solidarity with counter-hegemonic movements. This roundtable will discuss contemporary memory politics, its contestation, and memory activism within the region, as well as examine its global interconnections.

In what ways have silence, denial and its contestation been manifest?
How and why have particular actors shaped and influenced memory politics?
In what ways are memories contested? And by whom?
What global and/or transnational connections can we draw between memory politics and activism in the region?

Speakers: 

Ana Milošević, KU Leuven
Jelena Đureinović, Humanitarian Law Center (Belgrade) / University of Vienna
Jasmin Mujanović, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and co-host of Sarajevo Calling (podcast)

    • 15:00 16:30
      Memory and South East Europe: Global currents of activism and contestation