MEPOST investigates the intersection of moral emotions and the memory of (de)industrialization. At the heart of the project is a new concept — the mnemonic emotion narrative — which refers to stories that convey emotions such as pride, shame, or dignity in response to profound historical change. These narratives reveal the social norms and values people draw on when making sense of the past.
Rooted in comparative memory studies, the sociology of emotions, and (de)industrialization research, MEPOST asks: how do different memory contexts shape emotional responses to industrial transformation in post-socialist Poland and Lithuania?
MEPOST’s research has two key strands:
- Communicative memory: drawing on two extensive collections of biographical interviews conducted at the University of Warsaw and Vilnius University, MEPOST analyzes how former industrial workers describe their experiences of transformation in emotional terms.
- Cultural memory: through fieldwork in museums and heritage sites, the project examines how heritage professionals and activists represent industrial change and the emotions tied to it.
By analyzing moral emotions within both dimensions of collective memory, MEPOST addresses a gap often noted but seldom explored in depth: the disconnect between everyday moral frameworks and those promoted by institutionalized cultural media, such as museums. By identifying and contrasting these two regimes of feeling, MEPOST also traces which moral emotions and social norms risk being overlooked or erased in the process of institutionalizing memory.
MEPOST will share its findings through academic publications, collaborations with museum professionals, conference presentations, and teaching resources.
The project is funded by National Science Centre (NCN) and Lithuanian Research Council (RCL) under the program DAINA 3.
