Izvorni znanstveni članak
An example of selective memory:the Croatian medieval rulers in the names of the streets and squares of the most important Croatian cities
Borislav Grgin
Sažetak
In this paper the author is analyzing an example of selective memory, closely linked
with the dominant national ideologies of 20th century Croatia, and with the collective
national imagery of the contemporary Croatian state. This case study contains
a comparative analysis of street and square names in ten of the largest Croatian cities.
An investigation was undertaken into the presence of Croatian and Hungarian-
Croatian kings and queens from the first half of the 9th century to the year 1526 in
the names of streets and squares of the above-mentioned localities. The status quo
was taken into account, and as a tool of analysis, the population census of Croatia
from the year 2001 and the maps of Croatian cities were analysed, all sourced from
the internet. The results obtained through such analysis were compared on various
levels: firstly the frequency of names, secondly the geographical distribution of
names, thirdly the local particularities and lastly a comparison between frequency
of names of the early medieval Croatian rulers and the later Hungarian-Croatian
kings and queens. The initial hypothesis was that there is a huge predominance of
streets and squares named after the Croatian early medieval rulers, and that the rulers
from the Hungarian-Croatian kingdom are seldom, if at all, ever mentioned.
The results of our analysis completely confirmed this initial hypothesis. One could
suppose that such a fact could best be explained as a consequence of decades of systematic
political and ideological interventions in the public spaces of Croatian cities
that were, by no means, uniform and of the same ideological and political inspiration.
Ključne riječi
Croatia; medieval rulers; streets; squares; memory
Hrčak ID:
17290
URI
Datum izdavanja:
21.6.2007.
Posjeta: 5.101 *