“DIFFICULT PASTS” & DISPUTED NATIONHOODS

IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE

Nutsa Batiashvili

Free University Tbilisi

n.batiashvili@freeuni.edu.ge

POLITICS OF MEMORY

& NATIONAL MYTHS

WHAT WE (DO NOT) COMMEMORATE?

OCCUPANT VS OCCUPIED, HEROES & VILLAINS AND INTERNAL DISPUTES

“...if we are talking about occupation in Georgia, then we must have a museum of Ottoman occupation, Persian occupation, Arab occupation. This land that we stand on right now was under Arab occupation for 400 years. In general throughout Georgia’s 3000 years of history, Georgia was occupied many times by different countries and if we establish museums for all occupations that would just be wrong.” A comment made by a protestor in 2012, in front of the Museum of Soviet Occupation in Tbilisi, demanding to shut down the museum.

OCCUPANT VS OCCUPIED, HEROES & VILLAINS AND INTERNAL DISPUTES

“On 28 November 2006, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a bill, which described the Fam- ine of 1932–33 as genocide against the Ukrainian people. A previous draft had termed it genocide against the Ukrainian nation. The vote total, however, was 233–1, a bare major- ity in the 450-seat parliament (the remaining MPs abstained from voting). It has been speculated that these 200 deputies either did not wish to offend Russia or were concerned about the sentiments of their own constituents.” (from D. Marples, 2007)

“Difficult Past” • ”Double Occupation” • Who are the villains and who are the

heroes? • Russia and the W/Rest •  Ideologically Split National Elites: Old

Intelligentsia and New Intellectuals

• Split National Consciousness • Bivocality/Multivocality • Clash of Memories