Heroes and Anti-heroes in the Process of the Construction of "New Memory" in Georgia
Abstract
The politics of perestroika and glasnost that started in the Soviet Union in 1985 was followed by the revision of the past – one of the most important markers of collective identity. Construction of a “new past” as the source of legitimizing the new future started. Heroes of the Soviet era were rapidly turned into antiheroes. The process of creation of new heroes was launched, some of them “returned” from the past while others were born from the new reality.
The paper aims to examine the process of construction of the image of a new hero in the 1980-1990s. This is one of the first attempts to analyse the issue through the lens of collective memory. Maurice Halbwachs' theory of collective memory, Jan Assmann's classification of communicative and cultural memory, and Pierre Nora's concept of lieux de mémoire form theoretical basis of the study. Formation/transformation of the images of heroes and antiheroes are analysed in the context of characteristics identified by Thomas Carlyle and Max Weber. The research is based on the analysis of printed and electronic media sources, documentary video materials, literary texts and contemporaries' memories, that are reflected through the methods of historical research, qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis.
Construction of the image of Merab Kostava as a new national hero was based on the Georgian cultural patterns. These patterns were used for ascribing meaning to the tragedy of April 9, to the death of Merab Kostava, and for the construction of the narrative of heroism. The traumatic atmosphere created by the tragedy of April 9 and natural disasters of the subsequent period, as well as necessity to cope with them contributed to the formation of the image of a new national hero. Self-identification with this image offered the possibility of providing positive answers to the most important questions related to national identity, offered examples of dignity and courage and reinforced the legitimacy of national aspirations.
The burial of Merab Kostava in the Mtatsminda Pantheon ensured the national dimension for the image of the hero and strengthened the significance of Mtatsminda as a pillar of the collective memory of Georgians. This image fully corresponded to the historically formed perception of a hero in the Georgian imagination; this enabled to create a mental bridge between the present and the past and ensure historical continuity – one of the key foundations for collective memory and national identity.
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