Paper short abstract:

The paper presents a reading of classical theoretical texts devoted to (cultural-anthropological) narrative studies on the one hand, and ethnographical research on taboos on the other. The aim is to present a narrative theoretical model based on the dialectic of normativity and its ruptures.

Paper long abstract:

The aim of my contribution is to present theories of taboo - and other and forbidden spaces - as a theory of narratives, vice versa. To put it bluntly: My contribution attempts to read an author like Mary Douglas as a narrative theorist, and an author like Yuri Lotman as a theorist of taboo.

The crucial point is in the culturally productive dialectic of prohibition and transgression, norm and norm-breaching. I want to understand this movement as a fundamental process of world making (N. Goodman). Therefore, world - more preciously `Welt`, in the sense of Husserl - consists of an ensemble of norms/prohibitions that can be broken. Ultimately, this is also what narration consists of: as a concatenation of norm structures or prohibited spaces and their disrupting. And, this concatenation generates the semantic heat on which what we call `culture` is built.

When asked why this dynamic is so, I give answers from two very different fields: From the perspective of structuralist semiotics, it is argued that the dialectic of prohibition and prohibition-breach encodes the basic premise that language consists of: syntagma and paradigm. Anthropologically, on the other hand, I argue that this dialectic translates precisely those two frames that are necessary for the constitution of a self, namely identity and alterity.

Besides a closer understanding of the cultural figuration of prohibitions/broken prohibitions, my lecture aims to stimulate the theoretical dialogue between different cultural anthropological fields, the dialogue between narratological-discursive theories on the one hand and empirical-social on the other.

Paper short abstract:

The analysis of the changing narratives about The Grave of Józef Piłsudski's Mother and his heart has allowed noticing processes of variability, exchange and redefining culture memories, and thus a better compatibility of Lithuanian and Polish national narratives.

Paper long abstract:

The Lithuanian history of the last century and the resulting dynamics of demographic change have radically transformed the role, meaning and forms of interpretation of the Polish memorial sites in Lithuania. Today, Poles are the largest national minority group in Lithuania, whose identity is very strongly influenced by the Polish post-colonial nostalgia for the lost territories on the eastern border. The symbol of this nostalgia is Józef Piłsudski, who Poles consider to be one of the main figures in Polish history. But for Lithuanians Józef Piłsudski, who demanded taking Vilnius from Lithuania and joining it to Poland, is one of the most disliked historical figures.

The Grave of Józef Piłsudski's Mother and his heart is located in the center of Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. It is invariably the most important place for the identity of the Polish community. From the Lithuanian perspective, this object until recently have been deliberately ignored to prevent any culturally meaningful narratives. Small positive shifts in attitudes have been observed in the last few years. The analysis of the changing narratives about The Grave of Józef Piłsudski's Mother and his heart has allowed to notice processes of variability, exchange and redefining culture memory. A path for reconciliation between parties to an identity conflict is being laid thanks to the changing of formal ritualization and communication of this memorial site.

Paper short abstract:

The importance of Gediminas' Hill and Tower in Vilnius is grounded in medieval and folk legends. After the landslides in 2017 the graves of the rebels were discovered on the hill reviving the great historical narrative and folk legends right before the Centennial of the restored Lithuania in 2018.

Paper long abstract:

Gediminas' Castle Hill is a historic mound on which the Gediminas' Tower is located in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. This is a key historic site, the importance of which is grounded in the medieval legends about the founding of Vilnius and its founder, the Grand Duke Gediminas. In the folk tradition, the image of a great army which slumbers under Gediminas' Hill and which if awakened can join the fight for the freedom and independence of the homeland was widespread. The ruins of the castle and the Gediminas' Tower have been preserved up till today. It is the symbol of both Vilnius as the capital and Lithuania as the state. In 2017, a natural disaster took place when after a heavy rain the hill was severely damaged by landslides. First, it was regarded as a bad omen both for the state and its people. However, the landslides uncovered 22 unmarked graves of the main leaders and other insurgents of the so-called January Uprising of 1863-64. The rebels were brutally executed by the Russian forces and secretly buried on the top of the hill. This time, the historical discoveries were regarded as a sign of a miracle - as if the personified hill itself would have decided to shake off the soil and to uncover the graves of the national heroes right before the Centennial of the restored Lithuania in 2018. It gave a second rise to the dissemination of the Lithuania's great historical narrative and folk legends.

Paper short abstract:

Since the Internet comprises a mode of existence for modern folklore, place lore has become part of media culture. The paper deals with Lithuanian and Estonian cases of haunted houses that generate abundant Internet material, thus acquiring agency and becoming objects of heated vernacular debate.

Paper long abstract:

The paper deals with belief narratives that exist largely on the Internet and in other modern media, and examines the mechanisms of their production, spread and reception. The Lithuanian case centers on a ‘legendary’ building in Vilnius, Antakalnio 25, formerly the site of a military hospital, but which stood for a long time in ruins, thus becoming the focus of creativity for the kids of the neighbouring school. The Estonian cases also feature historical buildings whose functions have changed over time. Legends spun around such places seem to have developed a certain kind of self-sufficient existence, and to be to some extent self-generated, which can be readily observed on the Internet. Moreover, this type of media lore endows such buildings with a certain agency, although this can entirely depend on the users’ familiarity with the stories in question. Such uncanny places stand out in vernacular discussions due to their status as anomalous and at the same time charged with ‘superstitious’ beliefs that contradict rationality. The paper also addresses debates and contrasting points of view on such places and the challenges they pose to normative worldviews.

Paper short abstract:

This paper explores how predictability and control affects perceptions of agency in nature in the context of mountain tourism in 19th century Norway and the breaking of norms of caution. How can interpretations of agency in seemingly wild places be understood in relation to technology and control?

Paper long abstract:

In 19th century Norway, a growing number of tourists were pushing the boundaries of what was perceived as sensible and worthwhile mountain travelling, by breaking local norms of caution and safety. These norms were grounded in lived knowledge of how local landscapes act, when they are dangerous, and how to get through them safely. This knowledge, combined with a view of nature as mainly livelihood and productive land was not conducive to difficult, dangerous hikes up steep mountains for the sake of a spectacular view. While deliberate risk taking and intentionally increasing the degree of difficulty may have seemed foolish to locals, this deliberate norm breaking was essential to the experience pursued by tourists. Tourists sought places identified by aesthetic qualities that were seemingly of little significance to locals, such as mountain tops. Increasing attraction to spectacular and challenging hikes took place during a time also characterized by technological and scientific developments, leading to increased predictability and control. This reduced the significance of natural restrictions and forces comprising the agency of the landscape. Growing control and predictability may have contributed significantly to creating places out of previously avoided locations by allowing tourists to overcome natural restrictions by way of technology and control that could bypass the threatening and punishing features of the mountains that grounded local norms of caution. This paper examines how intentional norm breaking contributed to creating an inviting place out of the previously hostile mountain landscape by way of domestication.