ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the role of memories in historical dialogues and transitional justice scholarship. It draws on memories of female survivors of WWII, visually represented in two series of artworks by Northern Ireland artist Gail Ritchie. Ritchie’s work sheds light on women’s life-long suppressed violent memories of war and loss. Despite societal expectations to ‘carry on’ during a long and arduous war, experiences with war left a traumatic legacy that was to be imprinted in women’s memories for the rest of their lives. The chapter will argue that Ritchie’s work may be seen not only as an act of symbolic reparation for the harm women suffered, but also as a vital contribution to historical dialogue studies. While the role of art in transitional justice has received some attention, its power and ability to capture the memories and historical injustices that linger unaddressed for decades have yet to be acknowledged and theorised within the field. This chapter aims to contribute to the growing literature on the role of the arts in historical memory, and to demonstrate that visual art can serve as a creative embodiment of women’s stories. Those archives of historical memories can complement other mechanisms of dealing with past by contributing to the historical record, recognising victims’ experiences and countering denial.
