Paper short abstract:

This presentation will examine the use of the Croatian past with the purpose of constructing local national, transnational and pseudo-national identities. The analysis shows that local vernacular memory, even though it exists in transnational settings, is far from becoming transformed by them.

Paper long abstract:

Based on several examples, this presentation will examine the present-day use of the Croatian past with the purpose of constructing a public memory and thus making it a part of local national, transnational and even pseudo-national identities. The three examples shown here will focus on the material and verbal vernacular memory of the Croatian Middle Ages in the cases of the mogila in the Maksimir Park in Zagreb, the presentation of the image of King Tomislav, and the so-called Curse of King Zvonimir. The narrative of "heroic history" in all three cases will be examined in the context of historical developments in 20th century Croatia - its path from national to transnational settings and eventually back again. Furthermore, with the aim of understanding the durability of national vernacular memory in spite of omnipresent global mobility (mental of physical) and transnational settings, this presentation will pay special attention to the Croatian way of communicating the past into the present. This multi-layered analysis will show that local national settings seem to be stronger than ever before, while mnemonic products and practices "grew tired" of the transnational.