Introduction: Europe, Heritage and Memory—Dissonant Encounters and Explorations

Abstract

The introduction to Dissonant Heritages and Memories in Contemporary Europe theoretically grounds the book’s various problematizations of heritage and identity struggles in Europe today, including the heritage policies of the EU and other intergovernmental organizations, struggles over ethnographic and historical exhibitions, activist practices, and dissonant memories. By discussing these struggles and their problematizations, the introduction connects the book to a wide range of ongoing debates across the humanities and social sciences. At the same time, it discusses how convergences and divergences within and between the volume’s chapters foster new insights regarding the concepts of dissonant heritage (transnational) memory, and Europe. The book thus builds on a wide array of theory from interdisciplinary fields, ranging from memory and heritage studies, social sciences, and postcolonial theory, while also adding new insights based on empirical research, specifically concerning the understanding and use of the concept of dissonance.