The Memory Revolution Meets the Digital Age

Abstract

This essay analyzes iremember.ru-an open-access oral history collection containing more than 2,500 interviews with Soviet veterans of the Second World War. Launched in 2000 as a small grassroots project, it soon received state backing and grew into a vital element of Russia's contemporary memory landscape. The essay examines the origins of this project and its value as a historical source; just as well, it explores its evolution and the curious role it plays in contemporary Russian memorial culture. Bringing together history, memory studies, and the study of contemporary politics, the essay argues that iremember.ru provides important insights into both the Soviet experience of the Second World War and the forces that shape political discourse in Russia today.