Wydarzenia – od traumy do euforii
Events – from trauma to euphoria

Contributor(s): Ewa Golachowska (Editor), Dorota Pazio-Wlazłowska (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Anthropology, Social Sciences, Recent History (1900 till today), Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
ISSN: 2450-565X
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: 20th century; map of memory; Europe; Slavic area; axiological sphere; historical events
Summary/Abstract: This multi-author monograph looks at the 20th century from the perspective of its role in self-identification of individuals and/or communities as well as – in the latter case – of the place occupied by events of the 20th century in the structure of concepts that are key for the self-identification of Slavs. At the heart of each of the presented papers is the premise that the past, seen as a chain of events, is one of the factors determining identity and defining the system of national values which find their reflection in culture. Drawing on the tools of literary studies, semiotics, historiography and cultural studies, the authors undertake to put 20th century events on the map of contemporary European memory. They examine both the events that left a dreadful mark on contemporary history, causing a national (or global) trauma (like the February Revolution or outbreak of World War II) and those seen as positive (like the end of World War II, fall of the Berlin Wall or John Paul II’s pilgrimages) and evoking the feeling of pride. At the centre of attention are not only events defining the image of Europe in terms of political geography. Also clearly present is the mental perspective, which fosters recognizing the sources of national fascinations and national traumas, helps understand the mechanisms of myth-making, and points to the tools for reading myths that are constituted by, often seemingly hidden, references to the past.

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