Disciplining Post-Communist Remembrance: from Politics of Memory to the Emergence of a Mnemonic Field
Zoltán Dujisin
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2018
© 2018 Zoltán Dujisin All Rights Reserved
ABSTRACT
Disciplining Post-Communist Remembrance: from Politics of Memory to the Emergence of a
Mnemonic Field
Zoltán Dujisin
I examine the origins of the anti-totalitarian collective memory pervading Central and Eastern
Europe by tracking the genesis and development of the region’s ubiquitous and state-sponsored memory institutes. I deploy field analysis, prosopography and in-depth interviews to reveal how these hybrid institutes generate a potent anti-communist symbolic repertoire by overseeing alliances and exchanges across political, historiographic and Eurocratic fields. Memory institutes ensure this hegemony fundamentally via two mechanisms: The scientific validation of their activities by way of scholarly co-optation, and its regional legitimation through incursions into
European arenas. I conclude that memory institutes are ultimately a key element of post- communist political competition, responsible for creating a durable symbolic advantage for the right’s conservative identity politics.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES ...... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...... vi
INTRODUCTION ...... 1
CHAPTER 1: TWO MODELS OF REGIONAL REMEMBRANCE ...... 48
CHAPTER 2: EUROPEANIZING POST-COMMUNIST MEMORY POLITICS ...... 74
CHAPTER 3: FROM REGIME DIVIDE TO MEMORY CLEAVAGE ...... 110
CHAPTER 4: HISTORIOGRAPHIC STRUGGLES UNDER ANTI-COMMUNIST
NATIONAL RENEWAL ...... 154
CHAPTER 5: MEMORY ENTREPRENEURS, ARCHITECTS OF FIELD EMERGENCE .. 194
CONCLUSION ...... 240
REFERENCES ...... 255
APPENDIX: Memory Institutes and Political Context for their Emergence ...... 277
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Practices of Memory Institutes ...... 97
Figure 2: Memory Regimes Compared...... 109
Figure 3: Post-Communist Political Fields and Cleavages ...... 141
Figure 4: Textbook aid developed by Romania's memory institute ...... 148
Figure 5: Ideal-typical Historiographic Field of Post-Communism ...... 184
Figure 6: Post-Communist Memory Regime ...... 224
Figure 7: Children plotting their escape across the Iron Curtain ...... 237
Figure 8: Emergence of the Mnemonic Field ...... 239
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When over four years ago I transferred from a Political Science department to Columbia
Sociology, I was unaware of the depth of the abyss between the two disciplines. Transitioning was therefore unexpectedly arduous, but undoubtedly the right choice. Three years ago, speaking to my supervisor, I remember conveying to him that, for a text, lecture or debate to spark my sociological imagination, I still needed a bridge to the political world, to the realm of power in its crudest expression. This is no longer the case, and the first thing to acknowledge is my regret that this realization did not come sooner. I take this as a sign that I have not yet reached full scholarly maturity, but I find this realization comforting, a refreshing reminder that I retain some of the flexibility and eagerness to learn of my youthful university years in Lisbon.
I begin by thanking those who renewed and redirected my intellectual curiosity well into my 30s.
First of all, I thank my Columbia supervisor Gil Eyal. For everything he did directly - as a responsive, effective and insightful supervisor and