A történelem politikai felhasználásáról

Abstract

Within memory culture the relationship between politics and history has always been full of tension which is usually distinguished with the concept of history politics. The concept has become a standard point of orientation nearly everywhere, which, on its own, does not have outstanding political importance, however, as a dominant element it determines what we accept and reject from the past, thus history can never be completely politically neutral. In present political decisions we can always find direct or indirect references to or motivations for the past, which defy our political engagement and necessities. Therefore, in general, history politics explains the interaction through which past events gain meaning and significance in politics. History politics is the discursive space in which the interpretation of history is based upon the primer political usage of the present public representation of a communally relevant past event by different agents. Hence, it is not a coherent subject but a way of approaching or a perspective of questioning, which wishes to grasp the interactions between history and politics on a public and academic level.