Memories of 1989 in Europe between Hope, Dismay, and Neglect
Memories of 1989 in Europe between Hope, Dismay, and Neglect
Author(s): Ferenc Laczó, Joanna WawrzyniakSubject(s): Political history, Government/Political systems, Politics and society, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Sociology of Politics, Politics of History/Memory
Published by: SAGE Publications Ltd
Keywords: memory studies; 1989; transition; East Central Europe;
Summary/Abstract: This introduction to the special section on memories of 1989 calls for a closer analysis of various ways in which narratives of the democratic breakthrough in East Central Europe develop at the transnational, national, and vernacular levels. The four case studies in this section show that the liberal view of 1989 has been neither institutionalized nor internalized as its most common understanding. Instead, we observe a divergence of interpretations, the replacement of 1989 with other symbolic dates, its non-existence in the “working memory” of Western Europeans, as well as disappointments, frustrations, or nostalgia for socialism in East Central Europe.
Journal: East European Politics and Societies
- Issue Year: 31/2017
- Issue No: 03
- Page Range: 431-438
- Page Count: 8
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF