The Soviet Places of Memory of the Postwar Period in the Symbolic Space of the Southern Bessarabian Cities

Abstract

This paper focuses on creating places of memory in the cities of the Izmail district in the post-war period as a component of the Soviet politics of memory in the region. The author identifies the importance of the ideological factor in the construction of places of memory in the “late Stalinist” period, such as the monument of Alexander Suvorov and the Historical Museum in Izmail, the memorial to the Tatarbunary Rebellion, and others. Particular attention is paid to the memorialization of World War II heroes and victims in the first postwar decade. Based on the analysis of materials of modern mass media, the role of these Soviet places of memory in commemorative practices of independent Ukraine and their position in the symbolic space are considered. It is emphasized that despite decommunization in the country, the places of memory, which were a component of the Soviet ideological discourse, have been preserved in the south of the Odesa region.