Abstract

SARNACKI, Andrzej. Building Versions of Memory in Current Times: The Example of World War II. Mem. Soc. [online]. 2017, vol.21, n.42, pp.38-49. ISSN 0122-5197.  https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.mys21-42.ccvm.

This paper offers a critical view of the processes of memory in Europe and the narratives of such events, as this can become a benchmark and a guideline for critical historiographic reflection on the violent events of the past, and how they are preserved and transmitted. The text states that the academic field constantly uses a repetition of the war scheme, which is too limited and unfair, and barely relates to historical facts. Believing that memory research is not a rigorous historical approach, and reflecting on the representations of events neglecting their origin, does not constitute an assessment tool and can lead to the wrong conclusions. This paper particularly examines the case of concentration camps, the role of Germany and Russia, the guilt issue connected with memory politics, the epidemic of mechanical repetition in academic texts, or the idea of «replacing a historical model for a memorial model» (Rabotnikof).

Keywords : Construction of Historical Memory; World War II; Holocaust; Poland; Symbol; Issue of Guilt; Memory Politics.

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