Page 189 - Dark Shades of Istria
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8.6 Discussion on History-Centric Dark Commemorative Events in Istria
ing ceremony of the memorial exhibition was not a usual religious event,
but was – because of the space (the parish church) and some exhibits
– also significantly marked by Catholic symbols. At the dark commem-
orative event in Pula, the Croatian state flag and the flags of the County
were flown in addition to many flags of the Istrian defender’s associations,
which highlighted the importance of remembering victims and heroes,
and of patriotism. There were no symbols of Croatian military units from
the 1990s that could disturb and cause dissonance in Istrian society. The
speakers at these events did not mention any of the other symbols or ide-
ological topics.
The Catholic ritual in the observed dark commemorative events natu-
rally also included the phrase ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ which
means that we detected a theological aspect of dark commemorative
events. Klein (2000, p. 130) and Barton (2007, p. 322) claim that this aspect
is rarely highlighted in secular academic contexts; Barton then describes
the link between memory and theology in a way not compatible with the
purpose of this research. This perspective in dark tourism studies has
not been observed, although dark tourism is often associated with pil-
grimage, which is a phenomenon derived from religious tradition – see
Korstanje and George (2015) and Collins-Kreiner (2016). In addition, the
common, theological, memorial and tourism perspective of past violent
events in the post-socialist countries is also still a relevant research topic.
The summary of findings are presented in Table 8.3. According to the
criteria used, the heterogeneity of events placed in the urban and ru-
ral (settlement and non-settlement) area is evident. All have in com-
mon local visitors, memory as the key reason for visiting and the ab-
sence of ideological topics. This also reflects heterogenic public memo-
rial practices in Istria and also the heterogeneity of ‘Istrianity’ as an au-
tochthonous regional identity described, for example, by Medica (1998;
2011), Cocco (2009; 2010), Ashbrook (2005), and different perceptions
and understanding of the past, which were described by Hrobat Vir-
loget (2015; 2017). The historical aspect thus proves to be a crucial com-
ponent for understanding contemporary dark commemorative events,
which means that its investigation within historical sociology is justified.
Due to the included description of the historical background (trajectory),
visitors (including those with autobiographical memory) and transfer of
memories, past ideologies and their symbols (see Table 8.3), this study is
also reasonably placed within the frames of this branch of sociology.
By mixing two concepts, memory and dark tourism, we find that only
189
ing ceremony of the memorial exhibition was not a usual religious event,
but was – because of the space (the parish church) and some exhibits
– also significantly marked by Catholic symbols. At the dark commem-
orative event in Pula, the Croatian state flag and the flags of the County
were flown in addition to many flags of the Istrian defender’s associations,
which highlighted the importance of remembering victims and heroes,
and of patriotism. There were no symbols of Croatian military units from
the 1990s that could disturb and cause dissonance in Istrian society. The
speakers at these events did not mention any of the other symbols or ide-
ological topics.
The Catholic ritual in the observed dark commemorative events natu-
rally also included the phrase ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ which
means that we detected a theological aspect of dark commemorative
events. Klein (2000, p. 130) and Barton (2007, p. 322) claim that this aspect
is rarely highlighted in secular academic contexts; Barton then describes
the link between memory and theology in a way not compatible with the
purpose of this research. This perspective in dark tourism studies has
not been observed, although dark tourism is often associated with pil-
grimage, which is a phenomenon derived from religious tradition – see
Korstanje and George (2015) and Collins-Kreiner (2016). In addition, the
common, theological, memorial and tourism perspective of past violent
events in the post-socialist countries is also still a relevant research topic.
The summary of findings are presented in Table 8.3. According to the
criteria used, the heterogeneity of events placed in the urban and ru-
ral (settlement and non-settlement) area is evident. All have in com-
mon local visitors, memory as the key reason for visiting and the ab-
sence of ideological topics. This also reflects heterogenic public memo-
rial practices in Istria and also the heterogeneity of ‘Istrianity’ as an au-
tochthonous regional identity described, for example, by Medica (1998;
2011), Cocco (2009; 2010), Ashbrook (2005), and different perceptions
and understanding of the past, which were described by Hrobat Vir-
loget (2015; 2017). The historical aspect thus proves to be a crucial com-
ponent for understanding contemporary dark commemorative events,
which means that its investigation within historical sociology is justified.
Due to the included description of the historical background (trajectory),
visitors (including those with autobiographical memory) and transfer of
memories, past ideologies and their symbols (see Table 8.3), this study is
also reasonably placed within the frames of this branch of sociology.
By mixing two concepts, memory and dark tourism, we find that only
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