Kopács as a lieu de mémoire

Abstract

After demonstrating the role of sites and spaces in sociological research about memory – emphasising especially the works of Pierre Nora and his concept of lieu de mémoire – the study presents Kopács (Kopačevo) in Croatia as a place of memory.
By analysing this ‘community of memory’, the study attempts to show which the importance the exploration of spaces and sites of memory can have for this particular community. The analysis of sites of memory is a lesser known field within memory research although the spatial turn exerted a great influence on cultural
studies. However, memory research focuses on the category of time, not least because of its temporal, historical direction. This study suggests that when exploring a community of memory the analysis of the spatial dimension, in addition to the temporal and historical aspects, is suitable to yield results.
The community of memory explored in this study is a Hungarian minority community living in the village of Kopács. It is defined as a community of memory by the traumatic memories of the third Yugoslav (Serb-Croat) war (1991/92) and its narrations. These memories unite the people still living in Kopács and the former refugees to form a community of memory. The village was occupied by the Yugoslav People’s Army and became part of the ‘Republic of Serbian Krajina’ (1991-1995) which was never recognized internationally. As a consequence of these events, the Hungarian community of Kopács split into three groups: (1) people staying in the village under Serbian occupation; (2) refugees who went abroad (mostly to Hungary); (3) refugees who went to Osijek which was still part of Croatia. The study deals with the memories of these three groups which all relate to the place of Kopács.
Examining this particular community of memory is also of interest because its memories do not find their place in any national (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian) or international discourse. Their process of coming to terms with their traumatic memories showed a tendency towards passive forgetfulness instead of active recollection, although attempts at formulating some account are noticeable within the community. These attempts are analysed in as far as the memories and the narrations are spatially connected.
The exploration of the Kopács community of memory took place in the period between 2005 and 2010. It employed methods used in community studies which are closely related to those in ethnological research. Qualitative methods (participative observation, interview techniques, exploration of mental maps) allowed for the analysis of those memories which are connected with a specific space and specific sites such as monuments (commemorative plaque honouring the village’s victims of the Yugoslav war) and its related rites and other sites (for example, the memorial monument of the First World War which shows a soldier; during the Yugoslav war the face of the statue was shot to pieces by Serbian soldiers) which have an impact on the collective work of memory.
The study examines all these sites and the narration attempts related to them.