Journals Information
Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 4(7), pp. 536 - 545
DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040704
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Second World War History: Memory Conflict and Dialogue
Dagmara Beitnere-Le Galla *
Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, University of Latvia, Latvia
ABSTRACT
We live in the present, but the past, history and memory accompany us both visibly and invisibly. As stated by Paul Ricoeur, our past 'I' (as opposed to our present 'I', which, due to its experience, is different from our past 'I') is different from but still the same 'I' (the one that has retained its identity over time). Our identity is created not only by the experience of ourselves, our family and our relatives: we are also influenced by the big historical narratives. More and less recent history - even the big, over-arching events of history - influences each one of us, whether directly or indirectly. The paper focuses on two memory groups that "meet" in the Latvian capital, Riga, every year on March 16th and May 9th. These groups represent two collective memories, each of which reflects different views of history and politics, and each corresponds to specific social needs. After the restoration of Latvian independence, and especially in the past decade, the political significance of these two dates has increased. Both dates commemorate events associated with the Second World War - on March 16th Latvians commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Latvian Legion, while the Russian community celebrates Victory Day on May 9th according to the Russian tradition. Every year, these two events remind us that "the war has ended, but the memory war still continues", that the past is not really past and its influence on the present still sometimes creates unexpected "obstructions". The paper analyses such elements of group memory as territory, language and traditions in an attempt to find answers regarding different symbolic values by analysing the life stories of two participants in the Second World War and trying to create a hypothetical dialogue between them.
KEYWORDS
Collective Remembering, Legionnaires, Occupation, Life Story, Remembering, Forgiveness
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Dagmara Beitnere-Le Galla , "Second World War History: Memory Conflict and Dialogue," Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 4, No. 7, pp. 536 - 545, 2016. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040704.
(b). APA Format:
Dagmara Beitnere-Le Galla (2016). Second World War History: Memory Conflict and Dialogue. Sociology and Anthropology, 4(7), 536 - 545. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040704.