A Usable Cold War Past: Comparing the American and Canadian Memorials to Victims of Communism

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Interactive Paper Session: Visual Communication Studies Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Over the past decade, the U.S. and Canada have proposed memorials to the victims of communism. I argue that the process by which each nation memorializes these victims represent a broader attempt to craft narratives of their past involvement in the Cold War to suit present day needs. These memorials provided visual and rhetorical platforms through which each nation can strategically address and naturalize the past. The American memorial was used to create a historical continuum of extremist ideologies that have required American intervention at a time when the government was seeking support for the Iraq War. The Canadian memorial frames itself as memorializing immigrants who sought refuge within its borders at a time when immigration is again a contested issue. Three aspects of the commemorative process are analyzed, including the memorials’ origin stories, their design aesthetics, and the rhetoric used to discuss, debate, and critique the memorials.

Author

• Samantha Oliver, Annenberg School for Communication, U of Pennsylvania