(Not) to be a veteran of the Chechen wars
This article explores the traumatic memory of veterans of the Chechen wars and the ways in which this memory is dealt with by both the veterans themselves and the state. The article analyses state activities aimed at the veteran community, state narratives describing veterans and their war experiences, the veterans' own reflection on their traumatic experiences and the ways in which they choose to deal with them. Sources for the author included interviews with veterans of the First and Second wars in Chechnya, materials from a joint roundtable of veterans and researchers of the Swiss MEMCOPE project, as well as online resources created by and for veterans. The qualitative analysis of the collected materials was carried out using Atlas.ti, among other tools. The theoretical framework for the paper is based on research areas such as memory studies and trauma studies. The author concludes that veterans of the Chechen wars are now on the way to establishing their symbolic meanings and forming their own traumatic narrative. This could be a step towards transforming veterans' memories of the Chechen wars into a new cultural trauma of Russian society. But this process will be extremely difficult to implement without the involvement of the authorities and the necessary social and political resources.
Keywords
Chechen wars,
veterans,
memory,
trauma,
memory policy,
oblivionAuthors
| Tanaylova Valentina A. | Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences | valya00763@gmail.com |
Всего: 1
References
Александер Дж. Культурная травма и коллективная идентичность // Социологический журнал. 2012. № 3. C. 5-40
Ассман А. Новое недовольство мемориальной культурой. М.: НЛО, 2016
Ассман А. Непрошедшее прошлое: почему исторические травмы подрывают доверие к будущему // Теории и практики. 2017. URL: https://theoryandpractice.ru/posts/16023-neproshedshee-proshloe-pochemu-istoricheskie-travmy-podryvayut-doverie-k-budus-hchemu
Голубев А., Ушакин С. ХХ век: письма войны. М.: НЛО, 2016
Кобылин И., Николаи Ф. Американские trauma studies и пределы их транзитивности в России // Логос. 2017. T. 27, № 5. C. 115-136
Трошин С. Традиции девальвации не подлежат // Военно-промышленный курьер (11 апреля 2007). URL: https://www.vpk-news.ru/articles/3450
Трубина Е. Феномен вторичного свидетельства: между безразличием и «отказом от недоверчивости» // Травма: пункты. М.: НЛО, 2009
Ушакин C. Вместо утраты: Материализация памяти и герменевтика боли в провинциальной России // Травма: пункты. М.: НЛО, 2009
De Greiff P., Patel A., Waldorf L. Disarming the past: transitional justice and ex-combatants. Social Science Research Council, 2009
Duclos N. Rethinking the Former Combatants' Return to Civilian Life // War Veterans in Postwar Situation: Chechnya, Serbia, Turkey, Peru, and Cote d'Ivoir. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012
Kalyvas N.S. The logic of violence in civil war. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006
Le Huerou A., Sieca-Kozlowski E. A “Chechen Syndrome”? Russian Veterans of the Chechen War and the Transposition of War Violence to Society // War Veterans in Postwar Situation: Chechnya, Serbia, Turkey, Peru, and Cote d'Ivoir. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012
O'Hara C.P., Thomas T.L. Combat stress in Chechnya // Voennyi Meditsinskii Zhurnal. 1996. No. 4
RFE/RL Russia Court Challenges Unprecedented Compensation award for Chechen War Veteran, 29 September 2003. URL: https://www.rferl.org/a/1104486.html
Russell J. Terrorists, bandits, spooks and thieves: Russian demonisation of the Chechens before and since 9/11 // Third World Quarterly. 2005. Vol. 26, No. 1. P. 101-116
Zucchino D. Sorting Friends from Foes // Los Angeles Times. 2004. 1 November. A1, А8- A9
