Vilnius University Faculty of Communication invites to the series of virtual seminars on Contested heritage, memory, and identity practices: Eastern European and global contexts. Series is organized by the Connective Digital Memory in the Borderlands project, supported by European Social Fund (project No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-17-0027) under grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT).
In 2022 five exclusive themes related to different approaches of dissonant heritage, formation and transformation of identity, memory practices, mnemonic activists and etc., to be presented and discussed. Lecturers from all over the world will present most recent projects and research as well as introduce to the previously performed research works that are still relevant while discussing questions on contested historical events and its representation.
In 2021 first seminar The communist prison camp Goli Otok as site of memory, legacy of dissent and dark tourism destination took place. During the lecture Associate Professor of University of Copenhagen Tea Sindbæk Andersen explored both the creation of a literary tradition of memory by tracing the writings that have helped to establish the camps as a site of memory of political repression and dissidence in Yugoslavia and Croatia. 2022 started with the lecture of Postdoctoral Fellow Agiatis Benardou on Commemorating difficult heritage through immersive technologies: The case of Block 15 of the Haidari Concentration Camp. Lecturer focused on the Block 15 of the Haidari Concentration Camp in Western Athens as a showcase of a largely neglected site of difficult heritage, and attempt to make the building accessible to audiences and communities of diverse backgrounds through the use of immersive technologies. Recordings of both seminars can be found on Youtube.
During the upcoming seminars each month one of different themes will be presented. On 24th February ethnologist, researcher, author and speaker dr. Kathrin Pabst from Vest-Agder Museum (Norway) will present their newest project Keep it quiet! Family secrets in the aftermaths of WWII and explain how the history of the Second World War contributes to forming people’s self-image, their family history and identity. March is dedicated to investigate the case of “Istrian exodus” together with Vice-Dean for Research and Head of the Department of Anthropology and Cultural Studies at the University of Primorska (Slovenia) – prof. Katja Hrobat Virloget. In the very end of April, a lecture by professor of Political Science and Chair of Political Science Faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College (USA) Dovilė Budrytė will introduce to her research work on Memory Activism and “Points of Memory” in the Narratives of Women Participants in the Partisan War in Lithuania. And May is dedicated to meet prof. Jenny Wustenberg – associate professor of twentieth century history at Nottingham Trent University (UK), who will focus on typologies of mnemonic activists and transnational memory during her talk.
Reserve a seat and access the upcoming events here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/contested-heritage-memory-and-identity-practices-153009
24th February 2022 (4PM Vilnius time). Keep it quiet! Family secrets in the aftermaths of WWII by dr. Kathrin Pabst. (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/268944338757)
16th March 2022 (4 PM Vilnius time). Silenced, conflict memories and contested heritages. The case of “Istrian exodus” in Slovenia by prof. dr. Katja Hrobat Virloget. (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/269485547527)
29th April 2022 (3PM Vilnius time). Gender, War, and Remembrance: Memory Activism and ‘Points of Memory’ in the Narratives of Women Participants in the Partisan War in Lithuania by prof. dr. Dovilė Budrytė. (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/269493230507)
26th May 2022 (4PM Vilnius time). Typologies of mnemonic activists and transnational memory etc. (concrete theme to be detailed) by prof. Jenny Wustenberg. (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/269504724887)