The Body and Commemoration of the Dead
Historian Gustavs Strenga
08.05.2024.
Life and death are corporeal experiences. Similarly, commemoration of the dead, which is an essential part of every culture, is also a corporeal experience, both literally and figuratively. Objects owned by the departed person and their actual body – or what has remained of it – become carriers of memories of the deceased. Sacred significance may be conferred upon remains; they may be venerated and preserve memory of someone. Conversely, remains can lose their sacred meaning and memory of the deceased person can fade away. The talk will be dedicated to the varied practices of remembering the dead in the pre-modern age Europe (500–1700).
The range of academic interests of the historian Gustavs Strenga includes research of medieval memory and remembrance, gifting as a historical practice and the life of medieval heroes after the Middle Ages. Strenga’s monograph ‘Remembering the Dead: Collective Memory and Commemoration in Late Medieval Livonia’ was published in 2023.
Admission to the events with an entrance ticket to the museum: adults – EUR 5.00; students and seniors – EUR 3.00; school students – EUR 2.00.
Event: 8.05.2024. at 18:00
The lecture will take place in the conference hall of the museum on the 1st floor. More information about accessibility in the museum.
