«Institutions of memory» in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the formation of the Second World War images

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the activities of memory institutions in the Slavic countries of Central and Eastern Europe in contexts of the revision of the history of the Second World War in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The author analyzes the role of memory institutions in the formation of a new memorial canons about the history of the war in national versions of historical memories. Methodologically, the article is based on the principles proposed in the memorial turn and the analysis of the politics of memory, belonging to the paradigm of intellectual history and the history of ideas. The novelty of the study lies in a comparative analysis of the activities of institutions that determine the main vectors and trajectories of historical politics as a politics of memory about the history of war. The article analyzes: 1) the activity of the Institute of National Memory (stav pamti nroda) in Slovakia as a participant in the revision of the history of the Second World War; 2) the role of the Institute for the Study of Authoritarian Regimes (stav pro studium totalitnch režimů) in the Czech Republic in the perception of the war in Czech historical memory; 3) strategies for the development and functioning of war memory models in the historical memories of Slovakia and the Czech Republic in a comparative perspective. The article shows the contribution of the institutes of memory to the revision and formation of new memorial canons about the Second World War. The results of the study suggest that the institutions of memory are an important factor in the development of contemporary perceptions of war and its place in modern national identities.