The Role of Memorialization in Addressing Historical Wrongs: The Case of Lety u Písku

Ana Thais BARRETO APOLIANO

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Roma experiences have remained largely underrepresented in mainstream historical narratives. Their persecution is often mentioned only briefly in footnotes, and their voices and testimonies have frequently been silenced, overlooked, or minimized. This text critically examines the processes and challenges of memorializing Roma suffering, with a particular focus on the Lety u Písku Memorial in the Czech Republic, a site that reflects both historical trauma and the ongoing struggle for recognition. The Lety u Písku Memorial, once the location of a concentration camp for Roma, later became home to a pig farm, a symbol of state neglect and societal indifference. Only recently transformed into a memorial, Lety represents both a physical and symbolic space of contested memory. Utilizing frameworks from memory studies and postcolonial theory, this research adopts a qualitative approach to examine how contested sites of memory can challenge historical erasure and advance social justice. It explores how the memorialization at Lety u Písku shows wider patterns of marginalization, resistance, and reconciliation, and considers the role of this memory institution in reshaping public understanding and promoting historical justice. This study seeks to fill a critical gap in Roma Holocaust and memory studies, particularly regarding the Lety u Písku Memorial, which remains significantly underresearched in English-language scholarship. While the site holds deep historical and symbolic importance in Czech and Roma contexts, its memorialization has received limited attention in international academic discourse. By addressing this gap, the research aims to contribute to broader debates on the role of memory institutions in shaping collective understanding and confronting historical injustices. Focusing on the Lety u Písku Memorial, the study advocates for more inclusive historical narratives, not only to ensure historical accuracy, but also to advance social justice and support processes of reconciliation.

Abstract:

Roma experiences have remained largely underrepresented in mainstream historical narratives. Their persecution is often mentioned only briefly in footnotes, and their voices and testimonies have frequently been silenced, overlooked, or minimized. This text critically examines the processes and challenges of memorializing Roma suffering, with a particular focus on the Lety u Písku Memorial in the Czech Republic, a site that reflects both historical trauma and the ongoing struggle for recognition. The Lety u Písku Memorial, once the location of a concentration camp for Roma, later became home to a pig farm, a symbol of state neglect and societal indifference. Only recently transformed into a memorial, Lety represents both a physical and symbolic space of contested memory. Utilizing frameworks from memory studies and postcolonial theory, this research adopts a qualitative approach to examine how contested sites of memory can challenge historical erasure and advance social justice. It explores how the memorialization at Lety u Písku shows wider patterns of marginalization, resistance, and reconciliation, and considers the role of this memory institution in reshaping public understanding and promoting historical justice. This study seeks to fill a critical gap in Roma Holocaust and memory studies, particularly regarding the Lety u Písku Memorial, which remains significantly underresearched in English-language scholarship. While the site holds deep historical and symbolic importance in Czech and Roma contexts, its memorialization has received limited attention in international academic discourse. By addressing this gap, the research aims to contribute to broader debates on the role of memory institutions in shaping collective understanding and confronting historical injustices. Focusing on the Lety u Písku Memorial, the study advocates for more inclusive historical narratives, not only to ensure historical accuracy, but also to advance social justice and support processes of reconciliation.

Keywords

Roma, Holocaust, Memorialization, Memory, Lety u Písku.

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 1. 8. 2025

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: Mgr. Jaroslav Šotola, Ph.D.

UNIVERZITA PALACKÉHO V OLOMOUCI

Filozofická fakulta

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Euroculture / Euroculture