TALK: 23rd November 2020 at 6.30 pm
POLITICS OF MEMORY IN HUNGARY
An online talk by Prof. György E. Szönyi (University of Szeged / Central European University)
The “politics of memory” or the “politics of commemoration” is as old as human civilization.
We do not know for sure, but there is good reason to think that already the Altamira cave paintings commemorated heroic deeds of the tribe or its leaders. It is also enough to think of the Egyptian pyramids, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, the triumphal arches or columns such as that of Trajan’s in Rome, which all eternized rulers or political regimes, eventually supported ideological agendas. Throughout the centuries, Hungary was no exception to this custom and today I plan to show some of the visual representations that purposed to keep the memory of persons, deeds, events alive, always in service of an unmistakable agenda, or message. After proper theoretical and historical introduction, the presentation will focus on the developments of the past few decades since the regime change in 1989.
NB for zoom link & registration please contact Rowland.wymer@anglia.ac.uk