Memorial Entrepreneurship
The musealization of the Portuguese Colonial War
Abstract
The article addresses the memory work developed by communities of Portuguese ex-combatants, focusing on the museumization of the Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974). Examining how the conflict and the soldiers who served in it are portrayed in museum spaces in Portugal, it reflects on the way in which veterans' associations and memory agents use this device to establish certain representations and messages about this historical past and build communities mnemonics based on group identities and homogeneous commemorative cultures. Musealization is one of the vectors of the memorial enterprise promoted by these actors, through which they seek to provide public visibility and ennoble the memory of the Colonial War and former combatants. Acting individually or in association, many were driven by the lack of public memory about the conflict they claim to exist and what they feel is insufficient public recognition for the service they provided to the country. Focusing on the memorialist aspect of the exhibitions, I will argue that musealization is a tool for the policies of remembrance and recognition that they establish, through which symbolic and material reparation measures are demanded, the ties of these mnemonic communities are reinforced and public recognition is sought, raising awareness the society for the history and needs of veterans.
Keywords
Mnemonic communities, veterans’ associations, politics of remembrance, memorialization, recognitionReferences
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