Memorial Landscape in Petrozavodsk: Narratives and Practices

Abstract

The article is devoted to the main historical narratives and practices that form in the memory infrastructure of Petrozavodsk. Based on the actor-oriented approach to memory politics, we show the diversity of mnemonic actors and their strategies of commemoration of historical events and persons. The research has shown that the expansion of the usable past in the memorial landscape of Petrozavodsk is connected with both the process of national identity formation and the commodization of history, i.e. the use of the past as an attractive commodity for tourists. The lack of a unified strategy of commemorative politics doesn’t allow to formulate a hegemonic historical narrative linking most of the existing memorials. At the same time, all mnemonic actors tend to shape the image of the city as an important part of Russian history, and the narratives they form are aimed at overcoming the city’s provincial position.