| Abstract [eng] |
In 2022, Russia's large-scale invasion to Ukraine sparked a wave of debate about the future of Soviet heritage not only in Lithuania, but also in other post-Soviet countries. In Lithuania, several sculptures were removed and the memory of many prominent but controversial figures was revisited. The case of the Venclovas‘ House-Museum became one of the most striking examples of this transformation in Lithuania. Discussions began when the idea of closing the museum was raised. Participants in the discussions divided themselves into two camps: some wanted to preserve the museum as a literary legacy, an authentic reflection of the period, or a memorial for future generations. The opposing discourse denies the need for such a museum, arguing that it is a place for spreading Soviet ideology and that the museum glorifies any personalities associated with it, even the collaborator Antanas Venclova, who lived there. The discourse also emphasizes the irrelevance of such heritage to contemporary society. In a research "The Tension Between Heritage and Cultural Memory: A Discourse Analysis of Public Debates on the Venclovas‘ House-Museum", the research is conducted through an analysis of public discussions found in the media. By analyzing the discourses, competing discourses are identified, their structure is clarified, and the participants in the discourses are discussed. The research question raised is how and in what ways concepts of cultural memory are articulated in public discussions about the future of the Venclova House Museum. The object of the research is the discourses that emerge in discussions about the future of the Venclova House Museum. In order to answer the question that arises, the aim of the work is to analyze the competing discourses that arise in discussions about the future of the Venclova House Museum and to identify the concepts of memory they articulate. Discourses are deconstructed according to the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe in order to understand what concepts of cultural memory each of them asserts. |
