Unique book published in the Baltic region about the policy of memory and identity
A unique edition "Memory – access denied? Political landscapes of memory and inclusion in contemporary Europe" has just been published. Reviewed by Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Professor Deniss Hanovs and University of Latvia (LU) researcher Igors Gubenko, the book is a review of the memory and identity policy in Europe by seven international experts. The essays included in this edition have three common aspects: a focus on minorities, mutually competing memories and inclusion or exclusion strategies in different political contexts in Europe since 1945.
"The book is a dialogue about the memory and inclusion policy which is unique in the Baltic region. I hope that these impulses that were born in academia will resonate in the public space both at the international level and in Latvia, where there's such a great need for inclusion and diversity," explains Professor Deniss Hanovs about the edition which is a compilation of the view of German, Spanish, Polish and Latvian researchers.
In this book, Latvian researchers have explored topics of ethnic minorities and social memory. RSU Professor D. Hanovs and LU Institute of Philosophy and Sociology leading researcher Vladislavs Volkovs have researched this topic for the period between 1991 to 2015. Professor Anda Rožukalne, Dean of the RSU Faculty of Communication, analysed public reaction to news about historic events, using the research tool "Index of Internet Aggressivity" that was developed at RSU.
One of the world's leading researchers of collective memory, Aleida Assman also covered Latvia in this edition. She analysed the memory hierarchy and matters of inclusion among Russian speaking youngsters in Latvia. A. Assman has extensively researched both the traumatic experience of 20th century Europe (the Holocaust, wars and genocide caused by nationalism and communism, colonialism, exclusion and discrimination of different social and ethnic groups) and the "fatigue" observed in the 21st century, when negative memories are too much of a burden for a part of Europe and the idea to edit memories appears attractive, retaining only those memories that show a particular society and a country in a positive light.
The book "Memory – access denied? Political landscapes of memory and inclusion in contemporary Europe" has been published by publishing house Zinātne and was also supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. It is available in the Zinātne book shop at Akadēmijas laukums 1.
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