Through the lens of semiotic landscapes, I analyse here collective memory formation in the Baltic republic of Lithuania. A theoretical focus on power relation in “monumental politics”, the concept of memoryscape (Clack, 2011), Van Gennep’s 2004 sociological application of liminality, and a methodological approach that “treats space as a discursive as well as physical formation” (Jaworski & Thurlow, 2010) are combined to examine the process of monument destruction, creation, and alteration in post-Soviet Vilnius. I argue that cultural landscapes represent not only relationships of power within societies but are also used as a tool of nation-building and power legitimation. I highlight a fourfold process: (1) razing – monumental landscape cleansing; (2) raising – the return of memory via the creation of national historical continuity symbols and of new lieux de mémoire (Nora, 1996) and the memorization complex (Train, 2016); (3) polyphonic memorial narratives of empty spaces; and (4) the memory limbo helix or recursive memories.

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Linguistic, ethnic and cultural tensions in the sociolinguistic landscape of Vilnius: a diachronic analysis Using a multimodal diachronic Linguistic Landscape analysis, which advocates a historicised and spatialised approach to the study of the city's socio-political landscape, the article attempts to analyse the dynamics of sociolinguistic changes in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, before the establishment of Soviet rule and after its collapse in 1991. Drawing from its socio-cultural geography and urban studies, we analyse how written languages interact with the physical features of the cityscape to construct new memory landscapes and express ethnic tensions and nationalising policies resulting from ideological power change. Such a qualitative approach emphasizes the importance of sociohistorical context and leads to a greater understanding of identity and socio-cultural transformations. Looking at the history of this multicultural city through the lens of Linguistic Landscape analysis, allows us to reach a deeper understanding of its different ethnic narratives and tensions.

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