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Abstract: Poland: Ashes and DiamondsPoland: Ashes and Diamonds is a book about contemporary Poland, written by Ingrid Brekke, a knowledgeable Norwegian journalist. Its great merit is that it explains the contemporary political development in Poland through the prism of the country's history. The book is not devoid of some misinterpretations or minor errors; however, this is more than well compensated by its engaging style and skillful construction. The book is informative, easy-to-read and has a clear potential to increase the readers' understanding of Polish society and ignite their interest in the country.

In this volume scholars scrutinise developments in official symbolical, cultural and social policies as well as the contradictory trajectories of important cultural, social and intellectual trends in Russian society after the year 2000. Engaging experts on Russia from several academic fields, the book offers case studies on the vicissitudes of cultural policies, political ideologies and imperial visions, on memory politics on the grassroot as well as official levels, and on the links between political and national imaginaries and popular culture in fields as diverse as fashion design and pro-natalist advertising.

The developments in Russian official symbolical, cultural and social policies as well as the contradictory trajectories of important cultural, social and intellectual trends in Russian society after the year 2000. Readership: The book is intended for specialists as well as for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of politics, culture and society in Russia and other Post-Soviet countries, cultural policy, memory, history, Putin, ideology, nationalism, political regimes, elites, grassroots, Post-Soviet politics, social media, social movements, intellectual history, and imperial visions.

The volume presents results from a research project financed by the National Science Centre (Poland) entitled 'The Europeanization of realms of memory and the invention of a common European heritage'. Furthermore, the book reflects the objectives of this project: to describe and understand the processes which are at work in the Polish and Swedish context and lead to the construction of a new, Europeanized representations of the past. We ask how the ongoing process of European, political integration influences local, regional, national and transnational interpretations of the past in these two countries.As an outcome of a multidisciplinary effort on the part of Polish and Swedish researchers working in the fields of ethnology and cultural anthropology, the sociology of culture, history, memory and heritage studies, this volume has emerged. While the book demonstrates a variety of cases and approaches, it is at the same time firmly anchored in the common abovementioned research question and the authors' common understandings of the key concepts used.This volume reflects attempts undertaken by our research team to grasp the sometimes fluid and elusive aspects of the Europeanization of heritage and memories in Poland and Sweden. The selection of cases analysed not only allows us to attempt to comprehend the essence and diverse directions of the processes of Europeanization but also its dynamics in places which differ in terms of their axiology. The co-authors thus analysed its influence in places connected with contemporary museum narration (Lucja Piekarska-Duraj), transnational initiatives (Lars-Eric Jönsson), regional/transnational idylls (Eleonora Narvselius), national pride (Krzysztof Kowalski), with dark memory from the period of the Second World War (Barbara Törnquist-Plewa, Björn Magnusson Staaf, Elisabeth Büttner) and new forms of heroism (Ulf Zander, Katarzyna Suszkiewicz)... The examples of the Europeanization of heritage and memory provided in this volume show that its efficacy varies, with some places easily being linked to the European context and others resisting it. In other words, it does not follow the same course everywhere nor does it lead to the same redefinition of the past. The Polish and Swedish examples are excellent proof of this, as evidenced and explored in the Conclusion (Zdzislaw Mach).Preface, Krzysztof Kowalski, Barbara Törnquist-Plewa

The Twentieth Century in European Memory investigates contested and divisive memories. Focusing on questions of transculturality and reception, the book looks at ways in which such memories are being shared, debated and received by museums, artists, politicians and general audiences Readership: Students and scholars of memory studies and public history, as well as students and scholars of Europan studies and contemporary European and international history, anthropology and cultural studies.

The world wars, genocides and extremist ideologies of the 20th century are remembered very differently across Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, resulting sometimes in fierce memory disputes. This book investigates the complexity and contention of the layers of memory of the troubled 20th century in the region. Written by an international group of scholars from a diversity of disciplines, the chapters approach memory disputes in methodologically innovative ways, studying representations and negotiations of disputed pasts in different media, including monuments, museum exhibitions, individual and political discourse and electronic social media. Analyzing memory disputes in various local, national and transnational contexts, the chapters demonstrate the political power and social impact of painful and disputed memories. The book brings new insights into current memory disputes in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. It contributes to the understanding of processes of memory transmission and negotiation across borders and cultures in Europe, emphasizing the interconnectedness of memory with emotions, mediation and politics.

European museums have undergone major changes in recent decades, mirroring many of the social and cultural processes taking place in Europe. Two of the main issues that have shaped the public discourse concerning cultural heritage are that of democratization and civil participation, both of which have not only mobilized policies but also redefined musealized heritage. At the same time, a 'new museology' approach, where heritage is understood as a dynamic construct, shared and interpreted by communities rather than monopolized by external authorities, has inspired many museums to rethink their visions and programs. While heritage democratization processes may be found both in the Lund and Tarnów museums, there are considerable differences between the two of them. The article examines these with the use of several concepts from core civilizational ideas such as: utility, progress, dignity, democratic governance and inclusion. In both cases, heritage is used to support the present political legacy: in the Swedish case, the emphasis is openly put on diversity and civil empowerment, whereas in Tarnów the narrative of past glory overwhelms other aspects of the past. Nevertheless, it is the European concept of the 'person' which stands behind both of them, however vague and complex its conceptualization may be.