The autobiographical archive in post-communist Romania: “True” heroes and collective victimization

Abstract

Considering the emerging field of anti-totalitarian collective memory of communism, this article explores the interplay between the autobiographical archives and the public discourse on memory. It questions the appeal for establishing the “true” history of communism as it is reflected at the autobiographical archive level. Based on Elisabeta Rizea’s relevant case study and using a comprehensive approach addressing the discourse on memory in Romania, the grounding elements of the autobiographical archive are analyzed. Its afterlife is discussed in terms of its reception and through user-generated content specific to online communication platforms. The article argues that while the entanglements between the autobiographical archive and the discourse on memory of the Romanian communist past demonstrate a prevalence of the victimization and heroism narratives, the online engagement indicates both a continuity with these narratives and a (re)working of autobiographical archive in the register of truthfulness and authenticity.