Remembrance, Identity Politics and Political Transitions: a Comparative Study

Journal Title: Polish Political Science Yearbook - Year 2016, Vol 45, Issue

Abstract

The paper presents findings of the comparative study on relationships between remembrance story-telling and the transitional reconstruction of political identities. It identifies in which areas and fields of impact governments tend to use interpretations of the past to promote new leadership visions of society. Moreover, it verifies theoretical hypotheses related to the politicised remembrance and its role as a political asset during transformations, as well as it considers the theoretical framework of democracy-building (and a common prediction of its universal character). As a result, the study offers a detailed picture of the way remembrance narratives are transformed into explanations, justifications or legitimisation of new, post-authoritarian identities based on qualitative-to-quantitative analysis of the intensity of story-telling and its links with transitional identity politics. In the conclusion, the Authors present their consideration of research findings, and they discuss it with reference to the nature of transitional government’s remembrance policy as a sphere of social influence.

Authors and Affiliations

Joanna Marszałek–Kawa, Patryk Wawrzyński

Keywords

democratisation; transformations; collective memory; remembrance policy; new elites; transitional justice; social stratification; symbolic roles

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