«Войны памяти»: монумент «Родина-мать зовет!» в современной мемориальной политике
The «Memory Wars»: The Monument «The Motherland Calls!» in the modern politics of memory.

Summary/Abstract: The piece studies the use of E. Vuchetich’s sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” on Mamayev Hill in Volgograd in the modern Russia’s politics of memory. The author considers the problems of including the image into the memorial discourse, compares local and global context and analyzes the “memory wars” caused by referring to this symbol — the struggle for the right to use and interpret its visual images. Special attention is given to the attempts to reconsider the image and the role of this sculpture in regional identity. Based on the analysis, the author concludes that the practices of political use of the monument are determined by its unformalized status in the symbolical political space, and are defined by the struggle between various political actors trying to capitalize on the image of the Motherland.

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