PERSISTENT CATASTROPHES: SLOW MEMORY AND SLOW VIOLENCE IN EXPLORING DARK HERITAGE

This theoretical article explores the emerging concept and approach of slow memory and its relevance to dark heritage sites, focusing on how slow violence continues to impact the communities and histories these sites commemorate. It addresses the key research question: How does slow memory, which highlights gradual and often obscured forms of violence, intersect with dark heritage sites that reflect ongoing destruction and suffering? The article investigates three critical dimensions of the relationship between slow memory and slow violence: the temporal and spatial aspects of these phenomena, the invisibility of affected communities’ narratives, and the representational challenges inherent to these sites face. The study applies the slow memory framework, revealing how dark heritage sites, typically regarded only as representations of specific historical events, can also serve as enduring symbols of persistent suffering. This approach has the capacity to challenge official narratives of these sites, advocating for re-evaluating ecological and historical catastrophes as enduring processes rather than isolated events. This study seeks to contribute meaningfully to slow memory studies by integrating the themes of memory, violence and heritage, emphasizing the importance of understanding how past injustices continue to shape contemporary realities. It promotes a more comprehensive approach to addressing historical and ongoing injustices.