Memorial symbols of historical heritage in educational projects of the European Association of History Teachers (EuroClio)

Abstract

The subject of the research is the role of international non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the European policy of historical revisionism in relation to the cultural and historical heritage and memorialization of symbols of the historical past. The author examines this topic through the prism of the activities of the European Association of History Teachers EuroClio, which is the initiator of a whole area of public programs (international seminars, conferences) dedicated to rethinking the significance of memorial monuments and determining the legitimacy of their preservation in public places. In the course of the analysis, the author highlighted the most large-scale projects of EuroClio in the near abroad, emphasized the contribution of individual historians to the development of new approaches of these organizations to the assessment of 20th century memorials, as well as on the methods of historical propaganda and memory policy aimed at decommunization of the countries of the "transitional period". The study is based on the method of systemic, legal and institutional analysis in combination with the chronological principle and the principle of objectivity. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that in Russian historiography this topic is covered mainly through the prism of the activities of the Council of Europe and its resolutions, while the work of European specialized organizations remains poorly studied. Based on the results of the analysis of events held by EuroClio and studies by historians, the author formulates a conclusion confirming the significant contribution of the association to the implementation of the European policy of historical revisionism and its conciliatory position in relation to state vandalism in the destruction of memorials and burials.