Collective Trauma and Collective Memory: The creation of collective memories through representations of trauma in docudramas of Utøya 2011
2019 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
The research is designed as a single case study where film theory along with narrative theory and collective memory theory is employed to investigate how two docudramas narratively represent the same terrorist attack. To execute this study, the concepts of “remembrance” and “forgetting” are used in order to be able to describe how the films, Utøya 22 juli and 22 July, narratively represent the politically motivated terrorist attack on Utøya, Norway which occurred on 22 July 2011. The study found that the representations of the attack visibly depicted and excluded different elements regarding the narrative representations of victims, perpetrator, society, effects, consequences, causes and actions. This results in that the narrative representations of the two docudramas aid in creating different particular collective memories. The research contributes in examining how traumatic political events are represented in films to create particular collective memories, since collective memories are crucial in the political science field regarding issues such as policy formation and identity creation. Moreover, the collective memory that is being left behind, in today’s world where extremist ideologies are continuing to grow, can be vital for institutions and nations in their effort to prevent them; today and in the future.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2019. , p. 51
Keywords [en]
trauma, terrorist attack, collective memory, Utøya 2011, film theory
National Category
Political Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-14091Local ID: EIS501OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hv-14091DiVA, id: diva2:1337006
Subject / course
Political science
Educational program
International Programme in Politics and Economics
Supervisors
Examiners
2019-07-232019-07-112019-07-23Bibliographically approved