​Beyond Hegemonic Narratives and Myths

Beyond Hegemonic Narratives and Myths (BOHEMS) is a academic project (2017-19) funded by Charles University through the Primus Research Program. Throughout this project, we wish to come to a better understanding of troubled pasts in specifically, but not limited to, the regions of Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey and the countries of former Yugoslavia. While this project is grounded in academic research, it aims for practical solutions to current issues concerning identity and memory by means of the presentation of these troubled pasts to the public.

Our team is an international, interdisciplinary group composed of one PI, three post-doc CIs, five PhD CIs and one post-graduate student CI affiliated to Charles University. They specialize primarily in memory studies, contemporary European history, post-conflict resoultion and the presentation of history via museums, art and memorials.

Our project maps out historical narratives and myths of troubled pasts within nation-building processes, which help create and preserve “imagined communities” and thus contribute to a specific formation of cultural identities across East-Central and South-East Europe.

Our research takes into account oral testimonies, nonfiction historical works, archival sources and other outputs of collective histories so as to analyze the presentation of these narratives in the forms of cultural-political representation such as museums, school textbooks, and vernacular memorials.

Our goals are to determine how more inclusive museums and conceptual art open up the possibility for rethinking collective memories of troubled pasts, and in doing so find alternative and inclusive presentations of history in a world of increasing nationalism, violence and radicalization.
The investigations and desired outcomes of this project are far-reaching:

 

• Analyze the interpretation of past events and isolate (1) a point of origin of myths and narratives, (2) the means of establishing and deploying myths and narratives, and (3) the success or failure of such myths or narratives.

• Engage in fieldwork dealing with official sites of memory to determine how history is presented.

• Scrutinize less traditional, unofficial sites of memory to decide if they provide for more collective participation and assist in altering and/or easing troubled pasts.

• Understand the role of victimhood and its contribution to identity formation.

• Perform particular case studies as well as studies with joint denominators.