Commemorative Days and the Negotiation of National Identity

Abstract

It is broadly accepted in the scholarly community that nationalism is dependent on the telling and retelling of national stories about the past. What these stories say is never a complete, historically accurate summary of past events. It is limited to those events, individuals, interpretations, and values considered of importance to the “nation”. This means that the experiences of certain individuals or social groups may be left out. However, in some countries, including Russia, Australia, and the European Union, there have been attempts to negotiate a more inclusive national narrative. This process has often encountered conflict as different actors compete to express their personal identity. In this thesis, I aim to use commemorative days as a focus through which to explore this process of national narratives negotiation. I will study three separate commemorative events in three geographical regions: Victory Day in Russia, Anzac Day in Australia, and the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Nazism and Stalinism. In doing this, I will view the structural limitations of nationalist narratives and explore the nature of the conflicts that arise when different interpretations of national identity come into conflict. Overall, I explore the potential of nationalism to be tolerant, inclusive, and democratic.