Collective Memory and Narrative Templates

J a m e s V. W e rts c h Collective Memory and Narrative Templates O N T H E E V E N I N G O F A P R I L 2 6 , 2 0 0 7 , R O V I N G B A N D S O F Y O U T H I N T a llin n , th e c a p ita l o f E sto n ia, ra n sa c k e d au to s, sto re fro n ts, a n d o th e r b u ild in g s. T h e n e x t d ay th e city re m a in e d te n se , a n d v io len ce e ru p te d a g a in th a t e v e n in g , d e sp ite th e p re se n c e o f a larg e c o n tin g e n t o f rio t p o lice. By th e tim e th e s e tw o days o f civil u n re s t w e re over, 1 y o u n g m a n h a d b e e n k ille d , 100 p eo p le, in c lu d in g 13 po lice officers h a d b e e n in ju re d , a n d n e a rly 1,000 p e o p le h a d b e e n a rre ste d . T h ese d e v e lo p m e n ts c a m e as a sh o ck , b o th to th is v e iy o rd e rly a n d law -g o v ern ed c o u n ty a n d to th e o u tsid e w o rld . T h e cau se o f civil d is o rd e r in th is case w as n o t so m e n e w p o licy a b o u t th e fu tu re . In stea d , it w as a d isa g re e m e n t o v e r th e p ast, n a m e ly a d is a g re e m e n t b e tw e e n tw o “m n e m o n ic c o m m u n itie s ” o v er h o w ev e n ts in W o rld W a r II a n d th e S oviet p e rio d sh o u ld b e re m e m b e re d . T h e first c o m m u n ity is m a d e u p o f 1 m illio n e th n ic E sto n ian s, a b o u t tw o -th ird s o f th e c o u n try ’s p o p u la tio n , a n d th e se c o n d is c o m p ris e d o f e th n ic R u ssian s w h o m a k e u p m o s t o f th e re s t o f th e c o u n try a n d w h o d eriv e p rim a rily fro m im m ig ra tio n w h e n E sto n ia w as a S oviet re p u b lic th a t d id n o t c o n tro l its b o rd e rs. As w ill b e c o m e clear, th e R u ssian m n e m o n ic c o m m u n ity a c tu a lly e x te...