跨國後社會主義記憶文化研究

The proposed research project breaks new ground in memory studies by foregrounding the relevance of post/socialist memories (a relatively newer direction dominated so far by work of political scientists, historians and sociologists), and by its double-thronged emphasis on “texts” (in the broad understanding of the term) and their circulation and reception. In connection to post/socialist memory my project highlights the importance of cultural texts, it brings to the fore the unexamined transatlantic context (with reference to both production and dissemination of memories about post/socialism), and it enriches current debates through its methodology (i.e. a transnational lens). The project also contributes to scholarship on postsocialism foregrounding the relevance of literary and filmic narratives for a proper understanding of the region’s past and present. Last but not least, the project gives prominence to the less discussed work of Cold War exiles and contemporary transnational writers to American and Slavic studies. At a broader level my research envisions to produce a better understanding of post/communist times and their wider implications (cultural, political, economic, military) as well as of the way cultural products embodying mnemonic acts “travel,” often acquiring transformative potential.