Dacia Viejo-Rose

Memorial functions: Intent, impact and the right to remember

Studying memorial practice offers a revealing vantage point into changes in attitudes towards the past and with observers referring to ‘memorial mania’ it is an opportune moment to do so. Two main lines of questioning regarding contemporary memorial practices are addressed here. The first looks at memorial functions and intentions. The second examines some of their social and political impacts. The final part of the article analyses some of the consequences of these impacts for citizenship: notions of victimhood and silencing. The main case study is the evolution of memorial practice in Spain since the Civil War (1936–39) this is set off against examples from other places. The conclusion that emerges is that predominant memorial practices are far more despotic than democratic in their injunction to recall a specific narrative of events and trying to steer a paradigm shift towards democratic memorial practices raises questions about civic rights and duties towards the past.

Reconstructing Heritage in the Aftermath of Civil War: Re-Visioning the Nation and the Implications of International Involvement

Abstract Culture is an indispensable asset in post-conflict recovery processes; however, it can also be used as a means of continuing violence on a symbolic and ideological level, particularly in the case of civil wars. In a reconstruction paradigm this violence often takes the form of struggles over history, memory, heritage, and identity. Despite the context-specific differences of conflicts, their aftermaths do retain some common elements—such as an emphasis on re-envisioning history and re-defining national identity. This article examines three issues: the intentionality guiding choices about what to rebuild, the symbolic landscape that emerges as a result, and the ethical issues that arise from third party intervention in the reconstruction of cultural heritage. The rhetoric that surrounds reconstruction projects differs widely from the reality on the ground and I will argue that it is important to understand this in order to assess the impact that reconstruction can have on attempts at reconciliation, identity and state-building. This article also examines some of the ethical issues involved in the post-conflict reconstruction of cultural heritage including the role of international values associated to ‘heritage of mankind’ and their possible conflict with local valuations of cultural heritage. This area of study is becoming increasingly urgent. International organizations have escalated their involvement in post-conflict reconstruction work and in these interventions they impress their particular code of values on fragile societies often without a full appreciation of the possible long-term consequences of their actions.

Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict: New Questions for an Old Relationship

It has become increasingly clear that cultural heritage is an important agent in the interfacing between culture generally and the specificities of politics. This has particular significant repercussions regarding the roles that heritage plays in armed conflict. Analyses of this intersection have therefore become an important field within heritage studies. Such studies have begun to reveal the multifaceted and profound ways that cultural heritage is affected by armed conflicts: it is looted, damaged and destroyed either as a result of deliberate targeting or as part of the general violence. Responding to this, the traditional focus of research and practice has been on finding ways to mitigate the destructive impact through the development of legal instruments, preventive policies and protective measures. In such approaches heritage has primarily been seen as constituted by movable objects and important historic buildings, and it has essentially been treated as a passive victim of the atrocities. The relational dynamic, however, is not just one-way: heritage can also profoundly inform and shape armed conflicts and is an important factor to take account of during post-conflict recovery activities. It is, therefore, of great importance that we analyse this dynamic and reveal some of the underlying reasons for why and how such links are formed. Prime among these are how heritage may be used to argue for and construct difference — the ‘other’. Closely linked to this is the ability of heritage to be used in rhetorical strategies to justify violence, legitimize rights claims and notions of entitlements, or call on a collective memory of past injustices to rally support and motivate action.

War and Cultural Heritage: The Impact of Conflict on Cultural Heritage: A Biographical Lens

The concern of this volume is the web of meanings and connotations associated with particular places as a result of wars, conflicts, and their aftermaths. It is about how cultural heritage is both affected and generated by conflict, and how such heritage is subsequently interpreted, responded to, and used. The chapters brought together here arose from a large collaborative research project, funded by the EuropeanUnion, that explored the uses of cultural heritage in post-conflict reconstruction processes in five countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, France, Germany, and Spain, with case studies added from Denmark and Serbia. The authors who together explored the varied facets of these processes brought with them a wide range of academic backgrounds, including archaeology, environmental psychology, geography, history, international relations, politics, and social anthropology; and all perspectives were needed as these are complex and intractable processes which affect individuals, generations, and policies. Together we explored different aspects of the historical processes and sought suitable methods for investigating dramatic and often still traumatic parts of the European cultural space. One major outcome is the detailed account of a number of specific places as presented in this volume and in the YouTube videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/CRICResearchProject) that accompany it. Through these two sources the means by which places are rethought and remade during post-conflict phases, including reconstruction, are considered and analysed. In particular, the volume demonstrates that places are not just ‘the heritage of war’ but actively participate in the recovery and remaking of communities.