Law and Politics of Memory

The chapter analyses the interaction of law and the politics of historical memory, summarizing its genesis and evolution as well as outlining legal governance of historical memory nowadays, in particular by virtue of so-called memory laws. The analysis focuses on the ways politics of memory has infiltrated the settings of human rights via contemporary international and regional (in particular, European) law. It further unpacks the specific role of historical memory in national constitutional projects leading to a phenomenon of mnemonic constitutionalism. Finally, the chapter explores the role of memory laws as well as their various taxonomies in comparative law. The conclusions summarize major trends in recent academic literature on law and historical memory.