From documentary truth to historical evidence: The images of the Genoa G8 protests and the construction of public memory

Abstract

Abstract This article looks at the process of construction of a national memory of the 2001 Genoa G8 Summit Conference in Italy through the analysis of the audio-visual documentation of the event and of the meanings and forms it has acquired over the years. I argue that the context of production of these documents and the prolonged conflict over their interpretation has made them a fundamental element for the public memory of the event. In fact, the specificities of this case make it comparable to other divisive historical events that have represented ‘difficult pasts’ or ‘cultural traumas’ for entire nations, and can therefore be analysed within the same theoretical framework. In particular, I examine the documentaries produced by Global Justice Movement activists in the wake of the two days of violence and riots that accompanied the works of the conference, and the first docudrama to be entirely dedicated to the event, Diaz. Don’t Clean Up This Blood (2012) by Daniele Vicari.