Mgr. Rose Smith, M.A. Department of Memory Studies Junior Researcher Email: smith@eu.cas.cz Address: Puškinovo náměstí 9, 160 00 Prague 6, Czechia ASEP; ORCID; Academia.edu Full CV (PDF)

QUALIFICATIONS

2019    M.A., Economy, State and Society, University College London & Charles University, Prague
2017    M.A., Political Philosophy, Ural Federal University
2012    B.A., European Studies, Ateneo de Manila University
2011    B.A., Political Science, Ateneo de Manila University

PRINCIPAL RESEARCH INTERESTS

Memory Politics; Museum Studies; Postcolonial Theory; Heritage and Tourism; Representation of Communism; National and Transnational Identities; Multiscalar Memory Practices; Political Uses of the Past; Central and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland)

RESEARCH PROFILE

My research focuses on the intersections of museum studies, memory politics, with a particular emphasis on how post-communist societies in Central Europe engage with their recent past. My current work develops the concept of “the post-communist exotic,” an analytical framework that examines how memories of state socialism are repackaged and recontextualized in museums to shape national and transnational identities. Through case studies in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, I explore how exhibitions strategically exoticize the communist era, aligning with broader political, cultural, and commercial agendas.

Empirically, my research is grounded in multi-sited fieldwork across nine museums in Budapest, Prague, and Warsaw. I analyse how museum narratives, symbolism, and emotional engagement contribute to multi-scalar memory politics, drawing on the theoretical insights of Graham Huggan, Robert Foster, and postcolonial and memory studies scholars. More broadly, I am interested in how the commodification of historical memory intersects with contemporary debates on nationalism, Europeanization, and global heritage tourism.

Beyond this core focus, I engage with interdisciplinary discussions on the ethics of memory representation, the role of museums in shaping public history, and the ways in which historical narratives are mobilized for political and economic purposes.