Re-remembering the Holocaust in Eastern Europe

Mila Dragojević

doi:10.1017/nps.2021.62

Abstract

Jelena Subotić’s book is an important contribution to memory studies scholarship because it shows how the mechanism of memory appropriation connects state-led remembrance practices with the processes of national identity formation. Through the comparative analysis of Serbia, Croatia, and Lithuania, Subotić argues that Holocaust remembrance in these states is less about remembering the Holocaust – or acknowledging the states’ own responsibilities for the forced displacement and mass killing of the Jewish population on their territories – and more about the political use of the memory of the Holocaust in the context of the postcommunist transition and national identity insecurities. Yellow Star, Red Star, and particularly its chapters on Serbia and Croatia, nicely complement the existing literature – such as the work of Keith Brown, Siniša Malešević, Vjekoslav Perica, Dejan Jović, Emil Kerenji, Vjeran Pavlaković, Jelena Đureinović, Tamara Banjeglav, and Ana Ljubojević, among others – analyzing linkages between nationalism and state-sponsored memorialization practices in the post-Yugoslav states.

Highlights

One aspect of this book that makes it stand out is the way that Subotić employs stories throughout to personalize diverse perspectives of individuals who are categorized as victims, collaborators, or perpetrators in the literature
This approach goes beyond a standard academic text by adding transparency and a reminder that we are all responsible for our actions
The memory of the Holocaust was, as Subotić argues, appropriated – that is, “used to memorialize a different kind of suffering, such as suffering under communism, or suffering from ethnic violence perpetrated by other groups” (p. 9)

Summary

Introduction

One aspect of this book that makes it stand out is the way that Subotić employs stories throughout to personalize diverse perspectives of individuals who are categorized as victims, collaborators, or perpetrators in the literature. This includes the author’s own grandfather, who worked in the Special Police in Belgrade under the German occupying administration.

Results

Conclusion