Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days
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Vjeran Pavlaković
Abstract
Commemorations (and counter-commemorations) of the World War Two antifascist resistance movement in Croatia continue to be a source of debates over both political and ethnic identities. This chapter examines the transformation of several red-letter days in Croatia during the post-communist transition, in particular focusing on the content of the speeches given at commemorations. The new official Antifascist Struggle Day (22 June) replaced the former Uprising Day (27 July) after 1990, essentially erasing the latter from Croatia’s commemorative culture because it was considered to be too “Serbian.” The debate over these World War II commemorations, and their significance in contemporary political and ethnic identity construction will be examined by analyzing the discourse of political speeches delivered at the commemorations, the polemics present in a broad spectrum of the Croatian press, and field research (including interviews) conducted at the actual sites of memory.
Abstract
Commemorations (and counter-commemorations) of the World War Two antifascist resistance movement in Croatia continue to be a source of debates over both political and ethnic identities. This chapter examines the transformation of several red-letter days in Croatia during the post-communist transition, in particular focusing on the content of the speeches given at commemorations. The new official Antifascist Struggle Day (22 June) replaced the former Uprising Day (27 July) after 1990, essentially erasing the latter from Croatia’s commemorative culture because it was considered to be too “Serbian.” The debate over these World War II commemorations, and their significance in contemporary political and ethnic identity construction will be examined by analyzing the discourse of political speeches delivered at the commemorations, the polemics present in a broad spectrum of the Croatian press, and field research (including interviews) conducted at the actual sites of memory.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Preface 1
- Discursive construction of national holidays in West and South Slavic countries after the fall of communism 5
-
Analyses
- Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres 35
- Chapter 2. The quest for a proper Bulgarian national holiday 57
- Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism 81
- Chapter 4. “Dan skuplji vijeka,” ‘A day more precious than a century’ 101
- Chapter 5. Croatia in search of a national day 125
- Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days 149
- Chapter 7. Commemorating the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944 171
- Chapter 8. Ilinden 191
- Chapter 9. Slovak national identity as articulated in the homilies of a religious holiday 213
- Chapter 10. The Czech and Czechoslovak 28 October 231
- Chapter 11. Disputes over national holidays 251
- Chapter 12. What Europe means for Poland 271
- References 297
- Appendix A. List of current laws on national holidays in West and South Slavic countries 311
- Index 313
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Preface 1
- Discursive construction of national holidays in West and South Slavic countries after the fall of communism 5
-
Analyses
- Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres 35
- Chapter 2. The quest for a proper Bulgarian national holiday 57
- Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism 81
- Chapter 4. “Dan skuplji vijeka,” ‘A day more precious than a century’ 101
- Chapter 5. Croatia in search of a national day 125
- Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days 149
- Chapter 7. Commemorating the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944 171
- Chapter 8. Ilinden 191
- Chapter 9. Slovak national identity as articulated in the homilies of a religious holiday 213
- Chapter 10. The Czech and Czechoslovak 28 October 231
- Chapter 11. Disputes over national holidays 251
- Chapter 12. What Europe means for Poland 271
- References 297
- Appendix A. List of current laws on national holidays in West and South Slavic countries 311
- Index 313
