European Memory and Identity During the Refugee Crisis

Abstract

Narratives of memory influence the construction of identities. However, challenges arise in the formation of a unified collective memory in supranational states such as Europe. In the aftermath of historical events such as the Holocaust and the world wars, Europe has sought to create a common memory and a European identity based on reconciliation, peace, and democracy, establishing legal frameworks around human rights. However, the refugee crisis of 2015 posed significant challenges to these foundations by the lukewarm response of the institutions to the management of the crisis. In this chapter, we discuss collective memory and the construction of European identity and how these have been appealed to in discourses centred on solidarity and empathy towards refugees in the context of the migration crisis and the new humanitarian situation resulting from the war between Ukraine and Russia. We will use as an example some of the most important public discourses and mobilisations that have emerged on Twitter, mainly from social activism. The study of discourses on Twitter offers a unique insight into how identity and collective memory are reviewed nowadays in the context of the refugee crises in Europe.