723
Commemoration and Emotions
Commemoration and Emotions
Abstract Submissions Closed
Thursday, 25 February 2021: 14:15-15:45
Location:
WG08 Society and Emotions (host committee)
Language: English
Session Type: Oral
Since the 1980s the commemoration practices have expanded across the globe. They encompass victims of bike and car accidents as well as the fallen soldiers, victims of religious, ethnic and racialised tensions, victims of various political regimes (e.g. Nazi Germany, Latin American dictatorships), and, more recently, victims of terrorist attacks, whether these were directed against random shoppers or school pupils or targeted the very symbol of the (imperialist) world trade (the World Trade Center, 2001), socialist, anti-racist youth on the Utoya island (2011) or locals and tourists engaged in leisure activities in Paris (2015). Commemoration of violent events is often contested (see Foote`s Shadowed Ground and Flam 2015-2016). Proponents and opponents of commemoration fight about whether or not there should be any commemoration, where and in what form (private, public, government-run, quiet or bombastic) it should take place, what memorial objects are appropriate, how the victims and the context should be remembered, etc. Apart from these "commemoration parties", various "publics" may become pitted against each other on these issues, and "neighbors" of the violent events or memorials may recoil at the vision of black tourism or toys, letters, candles, poems, etc. piling at their doorstep. Some of these actors may call for developing commemoration sites and practices that clearly serve the surrounding community and the larger public rather than merely harking back to the violent past. All these actors and issues are interwoven with intense emotions and emotional stakes. This Session welcomes presentations on these emotions and emotional stakes.
Session Organizer: