BLURRING HISTORIES: KING SVÄTOPLUK I AND THE SHAPING OF SLOVAK IDENTITY THROUGH PSEUDOHISTORY AND SLOW MEMORY

• Authors: Hartikainen Ilana , Syrovátka Jonáš , Szebeni Zea
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This study examines how fabricated historical narratives and slow memory processes can shape nation-building efforts. We propose an expansion of Wüstenberg’s (2023) slow memory framework, suggesting that the gradual accumulation of positive pseudohistorical accounts significantly influences collective remembrance. These processes cultivate what we term ‘slow joy’ – the gradual accumulation of positive emotions through sustained engagement with mythologized narratives of national greatness. Employing rhetoric performative discourse analysis, we explore performative actions and communication surrounding the medieval King Svätopluk I and the controversy over his statue erected at Bratislava Castle in 2010 to uncover how Slovak cultural organisations and governmental entities interweave historical facts with nationalistic lore for nation-building endeavours. Our findings reveal that these curated historical accounts, marked by a cherry-picked chronology and the elevation of particular historical icons like Svätopluk I, construct a continuous national identity with ancient origins. This paper contributes to memory studies by demonstrating the interaction of pseudohistory and slow memory in national identity formation, offering insights applicable beyond the Slovak context.

Keywords

EN

NATIONAL IDENTITY; PSEUDOHISTORY; SLOW MEMORY; SLOVAKIA; KING SVÄTOPLUK

• Publisher: Institute of Ethnology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Slovenský národopis (Slovak Ethnology)
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 363 – 549

Contributors

author

Hartikainen Ilana

• University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences, Unioninkatu 37, 00170 Helsinki, Finland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2611-1764

author

Syrovátka Jonáš

• https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9898-9547

author

Szebeni Zea

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1844-0242

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31577/SN.2024.4.41