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The Politics of Memory: Remembering the Baltic Way 20 Years after 1989

  • George Washington University
  • University of Latvia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

On 23 August 1989, two million Balts joined hands in a human chain that stretched through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. How has this phenomenon of solidarity against the Soviet regime and historical remembrance of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact been narrated and commemorated in the 20 years that followed? This article highlights the memory and commemoration of the Baltic Way in Latvia and identifies agents and contesting narratives in memory politics. It introduces the concept of commemoration spectacle, a collective ritual untethered from the burdens of the past or 'grand narratives' of history, which subsumes struggles over memory beneath show and spectacle.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1033-1059
Number of pages27
JournalEurope-Asia Studies
Volume64
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2012

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