Books Briefly

A three-year interdisciplinary research project (2019–2021) revealed that staging difficult pasts through theatre, performance, and museum installations can challenge accepted narratives while evoking emotional responses. The study, involving Polish curators, artists, and scholars, examined global case studies—including the ESMA Memory Museum in Buenos Aires, where a performance by Wojtek Ziemilski used film and live condemnation to confront perpetrators of Argentina's Dirty War, and the Museum of Terror in Budapest, which links WWII commemoration with anti-communist struggles. Another project, 'We Walked Just This Way,' demonstrated how performative actions can bridge historical trauma across generations by recontextualizing artifacts like a replica corpse-transport truck. The research highlights the potential of transnational memory work to disrupt passive remembrance and foster critical engagement.

Cioffi, K. (2025). Books Briefly. The Polish Review, 70(1), 136–138. https://doi.org/10.5406/23300841.70.1.16