Post-Soviet Heritages in the Making

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in post-Soviet space (the countries formerly located in the Soviet Union or its sphere of influence) in the field of memory studies, researchers have only just begun to the study how ‘things and practices’ from the past are mobilized, institutionalized and repackaged in this particular part of the world. This special collection explores how heritage is being made in a highly diverse and multicultural space where Soviet modernist conceptions of culture and identity interact with local deeply rooted attitudes as well as post-Soviet economic and political challenges.

The Hand at Work or How the KGB File Leaks in the Exhibition

“…It involves a dynamic interplay between the agency of a spectator, the agency of "things" displayed, and a social context in which this interaction occurs. Through this field of interaction, new values and meanings are embodied-an often emotional moment that creates a sense of commitment and belonging in the present (Plets 2019(Plets : 1081. The heritage is ours-whoever is looking at the images-although people depicted in the photographs are not related to us, nor are their religious communities that left living traces of memories.…”

Untitled

“…It involves a dynamic interplay between the agency of a spectator, the agency of "things" displayed, and a social context in which this interaction occurs. Through this field of interaction, new values and meanings are embodied-an often emotional moment that creates a sense of commitment and belonging in the present (Plets 2019(Plets : 1081. The heritage is ours-whoever is looking at the images-although people depicted in the photographs are not related to us, nor are their religious communities that left living traces of memories.…”