Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20901/pm.55.2.01

The Controversial Commemoration: Transnational Approaches to Remembering Bleiburg

Vjeran Pavlaković orcid.org/0000-0003-2549-0627 ; Faculty of Philosophy, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Dario Brentin ; Centre for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz, Austria
Davor Pauković orcid.org/0000-0003-1324-6328 ; Department of Communication, University of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Abstract

This article provides an overview on some of the key issues related to the Bleiburg commemoration and more broadly the cultural memory of Partisan crimes at the end of the Second World War. Drawing upon four years of fieldwork, media analysis, and recent historiographical debates, the authors take a transnational approach in examining why Bleiburg remains one of the most controversial commemorations not just in Croatia but in the region. The article focuses on historical narratives in the commemorative speeches, the role of space in shaping memory politics, symbols and monuments present at Bleiburg Field, and the broader context of how Austrian politics affects the commemoration and its public perception.

Keywords

Bleiburg; Commemorations; Second World War; Victims of Communism; Symbols

Hrčak ID:

201779

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/201779

Publication date:

19.6.2018.

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