Outrage: Art, Controversy, and Society pp 129-143 | Cite as
The Nation’s Cathedral: Public Art and Competing Memories in Post-Communist Romania
Abstract
Visual representations of post-totalitarian societies frequently employ the image of a toppling statue: the fall of Lenin’s statue in the cities of Eastern Europe was a powerful declaration of the end of the Cold War. Collapse, destruction, leveling—these are common tropes for expressing the challenges facing transitional societies, in which breaking with the past and entering a new era coexist in a tense and ambiguous interrelation. But the frequent occurrence of such an image might indicate another important feature of political transition: the creation of a void—of power, of shared meanings, and ultimately of a basis of identity that could fuel a coherent sense of collectivity.
Keywords
National Identity Moral Authority Religious Discourse Interwar Period Transitional SocietyPreview
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Notes
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