Points of memory in the narrative of a ‘Mnemonic Warrior’: gender, displacement, and the anti-Soviet war of resistance in Lithuania

Abstract

ABSTRACTDrawing on feminist theories on memory and memory work, this article analyzes the biographical narrative of Aldona Vilutienė (neé Sabaitytė), a former partisan messenger and deportee, who created the first museum commemorating the anti-Soviet resistance and the deportations carried out under Stalin in post-Soviet Lithuania. The analysis is focused on points of memory, a theoretical concept developed by Marianne Hirsch who defined them as ‘points of intersection between past and present, memory and post-memory, personal remembrance and cultural recall.’ This approach helps us to better understand the complex processes of memory production and reconstruct the lived experiences associated with remembering war and displacement. In addition, it challenges the portrayal of partisan war and deportations as monumental national traumas.