ABSTRACT
The main aim of this chapter is to investigate the similarities and differences between domestic and European commemorations of national historical events and the loci of memory by observing who, how and with what purpose memorialize them. For this purpose, this chapter observes how Croatian political elites since the country’s accession to the EU (2013) have framed and commemorated the main national lieu de mémoire – Vukovar, both on a national and European level. This chapter draws evidence from the ethnographic observation of the Vukovar commemoration in loco and in the European parliament (2013–2017) and includes a discourse analysis of commemorative speeches and interviews with Croatian political elites. The chapter argues that Croatian political elites employ divergent narratives to frame and commemorate Vukovar (trans)nationally. In contrast with national commemoration, which is a locus for contestation and negotiation of memory, the European commemoration of Vukovar is seen not as a joint European remembrance but as a shared European memory which seeks acknowledgment.
