Authors

Discussion

This paper explores how the concept of the "post-communist exotic" disrupts and reshapes both national and transnational understandings of the communist past, focusing on museums in Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw. These museums, which range from state-sponsored institutions to private, tourist-centred attractions, not only present the remnants of communist history but also play a critical role in reimagining that history within new frameworks of collective memory.

I propose the concept of the “post-communist exotic” as a theoretical tool drawing on postcolonial theory, yet developed through empirical analysis of museum exhibitions in Central and Eastern Europe. This concept interrogates how the communist past is transformed into a consumable, foreign spectacle that oscillates between familiarity and strangeness. While such exoticisation simplifies the past for broader audiences, making it appealing to tourists and global spectators, it also raises critical questions about how this framing impacts both national and transnational identity and memory politics. 

This study is distinctive in its multi-scalar, comparative approach. At the national level, I examine how museums integrate communist memory into the continuous historical narratives of their respective countries, reinforcing national unity and resilience. On the European level, I explore institutions affiliated with the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, which frame post-communist memory within a pan-European discourse, aligning these experiences with broader European moral frameworks. At the global level, I investigate tourist-centred museums that contribute to a “global imaginary” of communism, commodifying the past for international consumption, often through Western triumphalist lenses.

The comparative focus on Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw provides critical insight into the variations and commonalities in how the post-communist exotic manifests in different national and transnational contexts. While each museum engages with local histories, they also participate in a broader transnational memory project, negotiating between national narratives and pan-European or global expectations. This paper illuminates how these dynamics of memory politics not only shape local identities but also influence how the region communicates its past to the world.

Ultimately, by analysing how the post-communist exotic functions across national, European, and global scales, this paper offers new insights into the role of memory institutions in post-communist societies. While these museums may appear to provide a coherent narrative of the past, they complicate our understanding of history, identity, and memory, raising urgent questions about the politics of remembrance in Central and Eastern Europe today.