Memoryscapes of Post-Yugoslavia: Toward a Typology of Monumental Semiosis
In her dissertation Memoryscapes of Post-Yugoslavia: Toward a Typology of Monumental Semiosis, Ena Kukić examines the spatial frameworks of collective memory in the post-Yugoslav region, proposing a comprehensive typology that spans from medieval stećci to socialist spomenici and recent post-war monuments. Central to the research is the process of monumental semiosis, the mechanism through which objects acquire, transform, and communicate meaning over time. Rather than treating monumentality as an inherent quality, the work demonstrates how it emerges through historical reference, material presence, and evolving communal interpretation. By showing how ordinary structures can accumulate commemorative significance, the dissertation introduces the concept of unintentional monuments, offering an alternative to the politically charged erasure of socialist-period architecture. In doing so, it illuminates how memory can form through everyday experience rather than formal symbolism, providing a framework for understanding inclusive and authentic modes of remembrance within a contested landscape.
Author: Ena Kukić
Dissertation
250 pages
English
September 2025
Memoryscapes of Post-Yugoslavia: Toward a Typology of Monumental Semiosis
In her dissertation Memoryscapes of Post-Yugoslavia: Toward a Typology of Monumental Semiosis, Ena Kukić examines the spatial frameworks of collective memory in the post-Yugoslav region, proposing a comprehensive typology that spans from medieval stećci to socialist spomenici and recent post-war monuments. Central to the research is the process of monumental semiosis, the mechanism through which objects acquire, transform, and communicate meaning over time. Rather than treating monumentality as an inherent quality, the work demonstrates how it emerges through historical reference, material presence, and evolving communal interpretation. By showing how ordinary structures can accumulate commemorative significance, the dissertation introduces the concept of unintentional monuments, offering an alternative to the politically charged erasure of socialist-period architecture. In doing so, it illuminates how memory can form through everyday experience rather than formal symbolism, providing a framework for understanding inclusive and authentic modes of remembrance within a contested landscape.
Author: Ena Kukić
Dissertation
250 pages
English
September 2025