Dark Events: Commemoration and Collective Memory in the Former Yugoslavia

Abstract

This article develops a new understanding of the relative darkness of commemorative events that are linked to tragedy and suffering, by using examples of the many such events that take place within the countries of the former state of Yugoslavia. In order to do this, the article draws from the field of memory studies and, in particular, the concept of collective memory. A sample of commemorative events from the former Yugoslavia was investigated and qualitative fieldwork was carried to analyze them in terms of their role in collective memory. The analysis of these events allowed for the creation of a new scale of the relative darkness of commemorative events. The darkest commemorative events, which draw on autobiographical memory and hold a high degree of contemporary political significance, are judged to be the most dark and to present specific management problems because of this.

Defining the Field of Events

“…Commemorative events are typically one-of-a-kind events that can help create a national consciousness, recognize heroes, celebrate historical events, remember disastrous events, or bring together people with shared experiences. They can inspire patriotism, bring generations together through shared grief, or provide a stage for people to fight injustice or discrimination (Frew & White, 2015; Frost & Laing, 2013; Getz & Page, 2016; Kennell et al, 2018). One subset of commemorative events starting to gain attention in the research is referred to as dark events (Kennell et al, 2018).…”

“…They can inspire patriotism, bring generations together through shared grief, or provide a stage for people to fight injustice or discrimination (Frew & White, 2015; Frost & Laing, 2013; Getz & Page, 2016; Kennell et al, 2018). One subset of commemorative events starting to gain attention in the research is referred to as dark events (Kennell et al, 2018). These events are typically associated with a dark past or disastrous event such as a catastrophe or war (Frew & White, 2015).…”

Consuming dystopic places: What answers are we looking for?

“…Light's (2017) extensive review of the research in dark tourism over the past two decades suggests that the vast majority of published work is related to wars, battlefields, graveyards, concentration camps or prisons. However, some of its conceptualisations do not necessarily involve death, but rather visits to inaccessible, forbidden or potentially dangerous places (Buda & Shim, 2015) or partaking in commemorative events (Kennell et al, 2018).…”

Dark Events of the Istrian Countryside: An Electronic Media Perspective

“…The term 'dark tourism' is the most frequently searched tourismrelated keyword in the developed countries of North America, Europe, and Australia (see https://trends .google.com). Kennell et al (2018), in contrast, focused only on so-called dark events, which are not exclusively related to the dark tourism context. They adopted Frost and Laing's (2013, pp.…”