The Politics of Memory as an Instrument of the Formation of National States in the Balkans: Achievements and Mistakes

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the politics of memory as an instrument of the formation of national states in the Balkans. The basic historiography of the memory studies is analyzed; features ofthe politics of memory in the leading countries of the Balkan Peninsula are highlighted. The author defines the thirst for grandeur, the emphasis on historical heredity, the call for struggle and the victimcomplex as the main features of the politics of memory and the national mythology of the Balkan states, which determine the high conflict potential of the “memory wars” in this region. It is emphasized a danger of a local version of the “provincial imperialism”, as the political megalomania of ruling elites has repeatedly led to horrible wars and national disasters.