CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Signer, Matthew |
|---|---|
| Title | Forms of Commemorating the Romanian Revolution of 1989 in Timisoara: The Case Study of the Memorial Association, 1990-2004 |
| Summary | This thesis addresses commemorations to the Romanian Revolution of 1989 in the city of Timișoara in the revolution’s aftermath. Using a case study, it tells the story of The Association for the Memorial of the 16-22 December 1989 Revolution (Asociația Memorialul Revoluției 16-22 Decembrie 1989, AMR), a significant association dedicated to the revolution in Timișoara given that it houses a museum, a centre for research and documentation, and that it has commissioned the construction of monuments throughout the city. The thesis argues that the AMR used two kinds of commemorative activities during the first 15 years after the revolution, which were the results of adaptations to the specific context in Timișoara at different historical periods. It shows that the AMR began with memorial commemorations, defined as commemorative acts meant to preserve the memory of the dead through their mourning, by researching the events of the revolution and by building monuments to those who suffered during the revolution’s violence. These early commemorations were the result of the immediate aftermath of the revolution and the context of the desire to prevent the memory of those killed from being lost. The thesis then shows how the AMR began to use didactic commemorations, defined as activities which teach a specific narrative of a historical event in order to commemorate it, by producing educational films about the revolution and hosting exhibitions of pictures drawn by children about the revolution. It then argues that these new commemorative acts were the result of the influx of foreign tourists to Timișoara combined with the coming of age of a new generation of children who had not experienced the revolution. This created a need for a way to teach the narrative of the revolution to these audiences, which the AMR accomplished through adopting didactic alongside memorial commemorations. |
| Supervisor | Siefert, Marsha |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/signer_matthew.pdf |
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