2 . When the government of Janez Janša appointed the new director of the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia in February 2021 , a sign bearing the word “ SHAME ” ( sramota ) appeared in front of the museum ; Jože Suhadolnik / DELO
family stories , their virtues and their traumas that we can understand the complexity of our everyday life and the intricacies of collective memory . The stories of individuals , their experiences , creativity , knowledge , doubts , views on society and personal values are an invaluable resource in the search for answers about ourselves , our society and anchors of collective memory . As the foundation of our social and cultural identity , memory is the key to understanding our environment , as well as our attitudes towards interpretations of the past and national belonging . The sacralisation of selected memories legitimises what we understand today as national interpretations of ourselves . We are inclined to perceive museums as relevant and ethically binding institutions that strive to tell broader , more complex stories and outline events through a range of interpretations and personal experiences . Unfortunately , in the last few decades , following the collapse or dissolution of the old forms of government , we have also witnessed many museums fall into neglect or close down as they were no longer suitable for representing politically appropriate interpretations of their nation ’ s past .
The creation of new museums or unannounced changes in museum administrations reflect the need of current governments to preserve suitable interpretations of their nation ’ s past .
During times of radical social change , the field of interpretation of the past is one of the first to require an overhaul . Political and social changes require a new understanding of the past and repressed memories are called upon to build a national collective memory . The removal of taboo topics of recent national history in the late 1980s and early 1990s triggered a wave of historical revision across Europe and influenced a new appreciation of museums in the following decade , especially those dedicated to the history of the Second World War , established to tell the story of victorious struggles of national liberation . New politics of remembrance demanded new national narratives and Slovenia was no exception .
The example of the Museum of National Liberation , founded in 1948 , which lost its independence in the late 1950s , regained it in 1962 as the Museum of the People ’ s Revolution and was renamed the Museum
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Observing Memories Issue 7