Conclusion: Overall findings and implications for the heuristic and normative value of "memory fragmentation"
Résumé
The concluding chapter summarizes the overall findings of this volume. Beyond the analytical value of increased sensitivity to memory discourses of non-state actors and how they may challenge or alter existing national frameworks of memory, we have identified three main findings. First, while governments should no longer be seen as the only relevant actors in the mobilization of collective memories, non-state actors do not always “challenge” this position but may also “complement” it, or circumvent it for the purposes of particular audiences. Second, the concept of memory fragmentation highlights the necessity to unpack the black box of the state as it allows the detection of the empirical occurrence of competing, sometimes even conflicting memory discourses produced by different agencies of the state, including military organizations. Third, even if the re-emergence of authoritarian regimes is often accompanied by efforts to reinforce state control of memory politics, the changing media systems and the increased involvement of international and transnational actors may continue to providing the basis for memory fragmentation. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the normative value of “memory fragmentation” and its relevance for understanding memory dynamics as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.