| Abstract [eng] |
The author of this thesis aims to answer the question what place does the post-socialist transformation occupy in society’s memory? What period or periods, if any, are related to the events and processes of the transformation? What narrative or narratives are associated with the events and processes of the transformation? The author chooses the branch of social memory studies from the broader corpus of contemporary memory studies and mostly relies on sociologist Eviatar Zerubavel’s sociomental topography. By doing this, the author defines periodization and mnemonic density, as well as the plotlines and related types of narratives. She includes the additional concept of popular memory, coined by French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault and later developed by the Popular Memory Group. She analyses 40 qualitative interviews collected in 2021, combining reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) and narrative analysis. The author concludes that there is no fully defined transformation period on the map of popular memory. She also argues that the broad period of restored Independence is much more defined in the memory, and the mnemonic density after the Singing Revolution is relatively low. However, this does not mean that the research participants had nothing to say about the later years. The author of the thesis identifies 5 main narratives: Ongoing Recovery Narrative, Sudden Collapse Narrative, Freedom to Act Narrative, Hard Work Narrative, and Narrative about Turncoats. |
