Relevant Tomorrow, a Diamond Open Access peer-reviewed international periodical aimed at promoting academic dialogue and interdisciplinary relations in the social sciences and humanities, is published by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania from 2021. The journal's focus and scope include: media and information literacy, security of the information environment, methodology and applied research in communication and information sciences, digitization and digital publishing, library science and bibliography, interdisciplinary reading research, actualization of the documentary heritage, and research in the field of history of culture and Lithuanian studies.
Lietuvos nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka
Art for Art’s Sake and/or Socially Engaged Aesthetics (?): Stasys Banifacius-Ieva’s Interventions at Exhibition Openings
Stasys Purys (Banifacius-Ieva), who made a name for himself for his interventions at the Mados Infekcija fashion festival and, particularly, at art exhibition openings, has been a sociocultural phenomenon on the Vilnius contemporary art scene over the past fifteen years. The case of Banifacius-Ieva calls for a deeper analysis of both the interventions themselves and the system of contemporary art (institutions) in Vilnius. To examine Banifacius-Ieva’s interventions at exhibition openings, the author of the article employs a materialist sociological approach to culture, the concept of institutional critique developed by Gerald Raunig and Gene Ray, as well as the insights of art critics Eglė Mikalajūnė and Agnė Mackevičiūtė. Such approach allows the author to view the object of study both as a sociocultural phenomenon and as a branch of artistic practice functioning within the system of contemporary art (institutions), and ultimately, as a distinct artistic phenomenon. Banifacius-Ieva’s status as an outsider within the art system is conceptually crucial to the emergence of interventions as a sociocultural phenomenon, which is converted into an artistic language and expressed through the pranskterian nature of interventions at exhibition openings. The principle of pranksterism merges the socio-ideological (activism) and aesthetic (art for art’s sake) aspirations of interventions into a conceptually ambivalent whole. This ambivalence simultaneously provokes internal tensions within the (Vilnius) contemporary art (institutional) system itself, as well as within art criticism and/or art history. Against the backdrop of these interpretations, one can note the lack of conceptual flexibility in art criticism and/or art history, and ultimately, the growing trend toward professional homogenization that has been taking place over the past fifteen years.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kęstutis Šapoka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The monograph “Gegutės giesmės: apie meninio tyrimo žinojimus, praktikas ir poveikius” [Songs of the Cuckoo: On the Knowledge, Practices and Impacts of Artistic Research; 2025) by Vytautas Michelkevičius and Aldis Gedutis raises epistemological questions of scholarly and artistic knowledge and explores the possible place of doctoral studies in art and artistic research in academia. When analyzing the peculiarities, differences and possible points of contact between scholarly and artistic knowledge, the authors of the monograph employ logical positivism, sociological, educational and relativistic concepts of philosophy of science. The possible points of contact between scholarly and artistic knowledge discussed in the book are found at the level of epistemological transdisciplinarity, where the methods of producing the two types of knowledge are not strictly separated; on the contrary, they interact and complement each other. Compared with foreign examples, the monograph reveals and unfolds the conceptual logic and administrative structure of the Vilnius Academy of Arts doctoral studies in art, artistic research and the preparation of a dissertation. The reviewer notes that in the practical sections of the monograph (“Practices” and “Impacts”), which validate the internal logic and ideology of artistic research, logical contradictions are often detected. The experimental and avant-garde image of artistic research does not always coincide with the opposing orientation towards the common practice in the art institutional system and the corresponding hierarchical models of “art through career.” This contradiction is explained by the incompatibility of the narratives of academic research and lobbying.
The Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania: Between an Expert Institution and a Representative Institution
The article analyses the history of the interdepartmental institution of the Republic of Lithuania, the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, focusing on its establishment, development, internal problems, and impact on the national culture of remembrance, particularly on memory of the Holocaust, while comparing it with similar institutions in other countries. The author of the article argues that the main source of tension within (and around) the Centre has stemmed from its ambiguous nature—the attempt to function both as an expert institution and a representative institution. The Centre's primary focus on researching and commemorating the crimes and victims of the Soviet regime and the marginalization of the Holocaust theme in all activities, as well as its conservative approach to the complex issues of twentieth-century history are its key weaknesses and vulnerability to criticism.
Copyright (c) 2025 Zigmas Vitkus https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Laughter That Does Not Always Side with the Authorities
The reviewer examines Neringa Klumbytė’s monograph “Autoritarinis juokas: politinis humoras ir sovietinė distopija Lietuvoje” (Authoritarian Laughter: Political Humor and Soviet Dystopia in Lithuania, 2022; translation from English—Vilnius: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania Science and Encyclopedia Publishing Center, 2024). The monograph is an anthropological analysis of the culture of humor in Soviet-era Lithuania that links it to the content of Šluota, the only Lithuanian humor and satire magazine published by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania in 1956–1990. Klumbytė’s study is based on extensive archival material, interviews, and theories of laughter. Original concepts such as “multidirectional laughter,” “political intimacy,” and others allow for a nuanced understanding of how officially controlled humor during the Soviet era could not only benefit the regime but also become a subtle form of resistance that strengthened readers’ critical thinking and their national identity. The monograph falls short of a broader comparative international context (Soviet bloc countries). It is crowded with redundant details, and does not fully reveal the motives behind the behavior of the creators of Šluota. Nevertheless, the book is a significant contribution to research into everyday life and cultural resistance in Soviet-era Lithuania, and it also broadens the scope of analysis of authoritarianism.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rasa Čepaitienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Introduction to the Special Issue of “Relevant Tomorrow,” Dedicated to the Reflections of Leibniz's Theory in Philosophy and Painting
The special issue of Relevant Tomorrow, titled Monadological Landscapes: Reflections of Leibniz’s Theory in Philosophy and Painting, is dedicated to exploring the intersections between visual art (painting) and philosophy. The issue builds on the scholarly symposium Monadological Landscapes: Reflections of Leibniz’s Theory in Philosophy and Painting, held on March 14, 2024 at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, organized by the Institute of Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy of Vilnius University. Using the work of Henrikas Čerapas as a focal point, the event sought to link philosophical and art-historical perspectives and to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue between metaphysics and visual art, idea and image, and thought and perception. The central question of the issue is whether—and if so, how—Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s monadology could be understood as a metaphor for pictorial structure. Leibniz’s concept of the monad, expressing the operational principles of fundamental elements of reality, allows artwork to be understood as visual monads. The issue invites to reevaluate the relationship between artwork and reality, seeing the artistic surface as a mode of cognition, and philosophical thought as a visual structure, thereby opening a space where philosophy becomes visible and the painting transforms into a distinctive form of thought. Monadological landscapes thus serve as a metaphor for the multiplicity of perspectives and the shifting relationship between the whole and its parts, while painting becomes a means for developing philosophical reflection and the visualization of abstract structures of reality.
Copyright (c) 2024 Kr https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Special Issue “Monadological Landscapes: Reflections of Leibniz’s Theory in Philosophy and Painting” Special Issue Editor Kristijona Čerapaitė
Copyright (c) 2024 Relevant Tomorrow https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Concepts of Process and Reality in Alfred North Whitehead’s Philosophical Realism and Their Implications in Henrikas Čerapas’s Work
The author of the article examines the points of contact between philosophy and painting by exploring whether and how it is possible to convert abstract painting and/or its method into philosophical concepts that explain reality. The work of painter Henrikas Čerapas serves as a case for this exploration. Čerapas’s painting and/or its method is analyzed based on Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy. The study has showed that Čerapas’s painting method is based on a materialistic concept of representing reality, i.e., emphasizing the process, action, and materiality of painting; however, at the same time, it is characterized by pronounced idealism. Since these conceptual features are also characteristic of Whitehead’s philosophical realism, Čerapas’s painting method is conceptually close to the fundamental postulates of process philosophy developed by the philosopher.
Copyright (c) 2024 Kęstutis Šapoka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Authors Guidelines prepared by the Editorial Board.
“Near the Main Line”: Agnė Kulbytė Interviews Painter Henrikas Čerapas
Recent discoveries in Henrikas Čerapas's (b. 1952) painting method have prompted an exploration of the specific philosophical and art historical approaches that enable to understand his work. Čerapas's painting methodology was examined during the artist's exhibition, Papilės kooperatyvo sandėlio Memorialas (Memorial of the Papilė Co-op Warehouse), held at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania in March 2024 and during the academic symposium that accompanied the exhibition, Monadological Landscapes: Reflections of Leibniz's Theory in Philosophy and Painting, organized by the Vilnius University Faculty of Philosophy. These events inspired yet another study—an interview with the artist. The aim of the interview was to learn more about the direction of Čerapas's latest artistic explorations and to summarize the thoughts expressed in recent interviews with the painter, as well as his own reflections recorded in his notes. The leitmotif of the interview, chosen from the title of Čerapas's painting “Šalia pagrindinės linijos” (2022; Near the Main Line), provoked the painter to talk about his creative ambitions and allowed to grasp his abyssal intellectual potential and follow his autobiographical expression, filled with spiritual resignation. The interview took place in August 2025.
Copyright (c) 2024 Henrikas Čerapas, Agnė Kulbytė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Possibility of Monadology in Painting: The Case of Henrikas Čerapas’s Exhibition, Memorial of the Papilė Co-Op Warehouse (2024)
The question of the possibility of monadology in painting enables to delve into the paradoxical reflections of contemporary abstract painting. The article highlights the impact of the definition of the monad on the concept of abstract painting and establishes the relevance and importance of such an interpretation when applied to especially distinctive solutions in painting (primarily in Henrikas Čerapas’s latest painting strategy). The philosophical concept of the monad is scrutinized as a metaphor applied to describe the plasticity of painting. Based on interpretations of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s philosophy, the idealistic approach to monadology (influenced by the theories of Edmund Husserl and Theodor Adorno) and its reflection in the concepts of abstract art are emphasized. In turn, it allows to grasp and identify monadism as the construction of the structure of inner experience and the visualization of mental processes expressed in painting. The article discusses painting that represents such theoretical thinking (from constructivist essentialism and Unism to minimalism and variations of abstract expressionism). The idea of monadology is mainly questioned by analyzing the work of Čerapas and his latest exhibition, Memorial of the Papilė Co-Op Warehouse (2024), exhibited at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. The author of the article reaches a conclusion that although the connection between monadology and interpretations of painting is symbolic, it is important for understanding the subtext of Čerapas’s abstract works and the transformations of plasticity. In artist’s abstract painting, one can observe a certain fluctuation between more constructive expressive forms and their interaction with the architecture of the environment, and more formal (closed and multi-layered surface variations) possibilities for the revelation of monadology in painting. The development of Čerapas’s monumental abstractions is clearly reflected in his latest exhibition.
Copyright (c) 2024 Agnė Kulbytė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
State Memory Institutions and Modes of Civil Society
The literature on civil society acknowledges that civil society plays a very different role at different junctures in the institutional history of any nation. The author of the article discusses the relationship between civil society and state memory institutions using four modalities of civil society: insurgent, institutionalized, anti-democratic, and firewall. Based on examples from the processes characteristic of regime change that have been taking place in Central Europe since 1989, the article attempts to develop a theory that helps to understand this unexplored aspect of memory politics. The study reveals that modes of civil society and the state's relationship with its memory institutions are closely linked to the nature of the current government. The demagoguery that exists today, masquerading as the voice of the people, poses a threat to democracy and provokes the polarization of political views. Such a world puts at risk the professional integrity of the staff of state memory institutions. Political pressure is primarily dangerous to their ability to steward artifacts of the national past according to professional and meritocratic criteria. The politicization of libraries, archives, and universities promotes ignorance rather than knowledge. The safest environment for state memory institutions is a tolerant and pluralistic culture in which they can work without prejudice and be useful to everyone. When illiberal, single-party populist forces rose to power in Hungary and Poland and began to dismantle horizontal accountability mechanisms, their state memory institutions had been under threat of becoming targets in a war of memory, with critics seeking their own political gain.
Copyright (c) 2025 Michael Bernhard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Monad and the Fold: The Interpretation of Leibniz’s Theory in Deleuze’s Philosophy
One of the most original and relevant interpretations of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s theory is presented in the works of contemporary French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, especially in his book The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque. The aim of the article is to show the influence of the Leibnizian monadology on the formation of the Deleuzian concept of the fold and to highlight the significance of the concept in the context of contemporary art and painting. Deleuze created the concept of the fold in order to make relevant the Leibnizian concept of monadology. The fold emerges a cultural term linking the Baroque and postmodern eras, as they brought out the issue of infinity and the plurality of reality. Drawing on Leibniz’s philosophy, Deleuze argues that the world should be understood not as a structure but as a texture. Leibniz’s idea that a monad is a metaphysical point reflecting the infinity of the universe inspired Deleuze’s philosophy of life, the view that life can also be found in matter. The world is becoming and changing in every part of itself. It is based neither on absolute chaos nor on uniform order. The world is a chaosmos without ultimate definite borders, with the power to establish multiple systems. Both Baroque and modern painting—from El Greco to Simon Hantaï—are characterized by an intuition: the ability to “think” and depict the plurality and vitality of reality through artistic expression. By applying the “logic” of chance and accident, using liberated hand movements and the matter of paint, contemporary painting (for example, the work of Henrikas Čerapas) reveals the plane of chaos that generates objects.
Copyright (c) 2024 Laura Junutytė-Galvanauskienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Teaching English in State High Schools in Vilnius in 1932–1939
The interwar period was an exceptional period in the history of multinational and multicultural Vilnius, as the city, having become part of Poland, implemented the educational model established by the Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Education of the Second Polish Republic. In the 1930s, the Polish (and Vilnius) system of education underwent major changes. After long discussions, a new education law adopted in 1932 changed the structure and state school curriculum. New general education programs were approved for all subjects, including foreign languages. The article examines the teaching of English language in state high schools in Vilnius from the entry into force of the Polish Education Reform Law in 1932 until 1939, i.e., the beginning of WWII. The study revealed that in Adam Mickiewicz Gymnasium, English was taught as a compulsory and optional subject, whereas at the lyceum level—as one of the compulsory foreign languages. In Juliusz Słowacki Gymnasium, English was taught only as an optional subject, and in Jan and Andrzej Śniadecki Lyceum—as a compulsory subject. A significant number of students took advantage of the new opportunity to learn English. However, they had a rather difficult time learning the language as a compulsory subject, many of them achieving only satisfactory results. Students’ motivation to learn English as an elective subject faded away when they encountered first difficulties. Lyceum students were not interested in learning additional subjects (including English) and focused on preparing for the matriculation exams.
Copyright (c) 2024 Elžbieta Lučinska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Lithuanian Readers’ Experiences of Reading Fiction: Mindful Reading, Key Characteristics and Features during Global Crises
Researchers in various fields have drawn attention to the declining popularity of reading fiction in pastime, driven by global competition from e-media. Research into the significance of reading fiction in Lithuania has been emphasized by the anxiety experienced and currently being experienced as a result of two overlapping crises, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine. Public health specialists and psychologists recognize that reading fiction is an effective way to overcome the anxiety experienced during crises. Base on the theory of consciousness content discussed by neuroscientists and the concept of mindful reading explored by researchers from various fields, the article examines the experience of giving meaning to a text when reading fiction among adults in Lithuania, and the important characteristics and features of this experience during global crises. The empirical (qualitative) study has showed that for most informants, mindful reading is based on opportunities for self-education. They pointed out books recommended by experts or books they themselves found valuable as the most important characteristic of quality reading. The characteristics of reading fiction during the periods of the aforementioned global crises had similarities and differences. In both cases, reading fiction was influenced by the prevailing anxiety and uncertainty in the environment, as well as the desire to learn the facts and form one’s own opinion. At the beginning of these crises, reading texts on social media prevailed; however, as these periods of crises continued, people began to return to previously established reading habits that helped them overcome their anxiety. During the crises, the chosen fiction reflected global issues and themes (infectious diseases, nursing, war events, and difficulties) that brought forth deeper empathy and tolerance for the characters’ and their experiences.
Copyright (c) 2024 Daiva Janavičienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Landscape in Baroque and Abstract Art: Interrelations as a Reference to the Metaphysical Realm
The article examines the relationship between abstraction and the representation of nature and seeks to answer why and how the work of contemporary abstract artists is interpreted as a representation of nature. The paintings of Henrikas Čerapas serve as case study. The article suggests that abstraction should be understood as an expression of a deeper layer of meaning. The juxtaposition of the Late Baroque and abstract art in an unconventional way, allows us to recognize the continuation of the pre-modern tradition of metaphysical thinking about nature in contemporary abstraction. In the pre-modern period, before the genre of landscape painting became popular as primarily an aesthetic representation of nature, the depiction of nature was linked to the metaphysical dimension. This principle is evident in Late Baroque painting, which reflects the influence of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s philosophy of nature, emphasising the harmony between ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ relationships. The abstract representation of nature as a connection between various elements is also close to twentieth- and twenty-first-century painting—in both Late Baroque and abstract painting, it points to a transcendent layer.
Copyright (c) 2024 Kostas Biliūnas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Visual Monad: Leibniz’s Ontological Aesthetics and Its Artistic Implications in the Paintings of Henrikas Čerapas
This article proposes to look at artwork as visual externalisation of monads, thus establishing a profound link between the metaphysical and aesthetic dimensions of Leibniz’s philosophy. By framing the paintings of Henrikas Čerapas as an extension of Leibnizian metaphysics, the article explores the functioning of artwork not merely as representation but as integral component of nature. Čerapas’s paintings disclose an underlying system of internal relations that structure the body of work, thereby challenging the conventional view of the artist as a creator ex nihilo. Rather than inventing from nothing, the artist uncovers and makes visible the latent structures of a monadic reality—each painting presents a distinct perspective on the harmony, order, and expressive intensity that lie at the heart of Leibniz’s metaphysical vision. This reinforces the idea of ontological aesthetics and provides an innovative framework for engaging with visual art through key Leibnizian concepts, such as expression, perception, and unity in variety. This perspective underscores that aesthetic inquiry is not separate from Leibniz’s broader philosophical system but is embedded within his understanding of reality.
Copyright (c) 2024 Kristijona Čerapaitė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Reading Clubs and the Phenomenology of Reading: From the Mindful Individual to the Empowered Community
Reading clubs have been an extremely popular community activity in the world for several decades. They are spreading rapidly in Lithuania. The significance of reading clubs in Lithuania has been discussed in a few scholarly publications and in the public space, but a more detailed and analytical/philosophical research on the necessity of such communities is still absent. The paper discusses the ontological importance of reading and reading clubs and looks into the nature of the reading experience and the effects of participation in a reading club. From a phenomenological perspective, it is clear that reading extends the boundaries of time and space, allowing the individual to experience more than is possible in “objective” reality. During the process of reading, the individuals are not merely passive receivers of a pre-generated message. On the contrary, the participation in a reading club enables them to understand literary texts more fully, empowers to think independently and critically, and helps to build and strengthen democratic community ties.
Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Wittgensteinian Implications: Malvina Jelinskaitė's Photo Exhibition “Mèno forte” (“Listen Downstream”) at Prospekto Gallery in Vilnius
The review examines the solo exhibition “Mèno forte” (Listen Downstream) by the artist, art historian and photographer Malvina Jelinskaitė, which ran from January 22 to February 22, 2025 at Prospekto Gallery (Gedimino Ave. 43, Vilnius), in particular, the writing of everyday life, which is one of the main metaphors of the exhibition. The author of the review highlights the conceptual features of Jelinskaitė's photographic method and photographs, using Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory of language-games and his philosophy of psychology. They suggest that in its connection to the philosophy of language, Jelinskaitė's method is rather conceptual and not illustrative.
Personal Images of Lithuanian Artists in the Documentary Videos “Portraits of Artists. Annals”: Semiological and Socio-Ideological Aspects
Semantic templates of “being oneself” and “true self” are often used in the (auto)biographical narratives of Lithuanian artists of the period of independence. A closer look reveals that these templates often conceal emotionally conditioned and romanticized (cultural) clichés, presented as analytical categories. Using Bakhtin’s chronotope and Lotman’s semiosphere concepts, the article examines a series of documentary films produced in Lithuania between 1994 and 2016, “Portraits of Artists. Annals,” and raises the following questions: How and which biographical models or images of the “true self” are created through the language of cinema and in the narratives of the protagonists (the artists) themselves? How do visual and linguistic narratives interact in these structures? In what ways are they mythologized? The study has shown that the (auto)biographical narratives of the artists can be viewed as a re-sacralization of the biographical models of the artists and at the same time, as a retelling, a re-creation of personal images constructed during the Soviet era. The author of the article argues that the biographical-narrative structures of documentary films about artists should be seen as a “degraded (or degrading) myth”—partial fictions, a reframing of ideology—rather than a “pure myth.”
From Migration to Memory: The Preservation of the Lithuanian Diaspora Heritage in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay
The article discusses the preservation of the Lithuanian diaspora heritage in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, focusing on the role of migration museums, archives, cultural institutions, and community initiatives. Despite the large Lithuanian diaspora in South America, the mechanisms for preserving its heritage have been little researched. The article aims to assess the role of memory institutions and local communities in documenting and preserving Lithuanian identity, and to identify the main challenges of this process in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It has been found that the migration museums in São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo, as well as the Centre for Latin American Migration Studies in Argentina, contribute significantly to the documentation and digitisation of migration heritage; however, the efforts remain fragmented. A case study of Lituanika neighbourhood in São Paulo, Brazil, shows that although local community initiatives can serve as an alternative form of heritage preservation, the sustainability of such activities has been limited by material and institutional factors. The preservation of diaspora heritage depends on institutional resources and (deeper) community involvement; therefore, by adopting a forward-looking approach and continuously investing in human (especially community) and technological (primarily digitisation) resources, the cultural heritage of Lithuanian migrants in South America can be preserved in a more sustainable way for future generations.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gabija Vyšniauskaitė-Danusė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Digital Humanities: An Opportunity or a Challenge When Dealing with Cultural Heritage and Memory? Reflections on the Project “Cultural and Intellectual Geography of the Former Polish Lands after the Partitions, 1865–1918: A Digital Vademecum”
The article reflects on the opportunities and challenges that tools of the digital humanities pose for researchers in the field of cultural heritage and memory. The reflections are based on the project “The Cultural and Intellectual Geography of the Former Polish Lands after the Partitions, 1865–1918: A Digital Vademecum” (hereinafter, the Vademecum Project). The project’s goal is to collect and share data on selected aspects of broadly defined cultural heritage from the multi-ethnic territory of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the period 1865–1918. The article has shown that the Vademecum Project interacts with memory institutions. On the one hand, it draws upon their heritage and resources and on the other hand, it complements their mission (based on historical sources, it provides information about missing publications, destroyed monuments, or lands long since confiscated). The project has also revealed that the use of digital tools in heritage and memory studies poses many challenges—ranging from assembling an interdisciplinary team and organizing its effective work to finding suitable methodological and technical solutions where two such distinct fields as the humanities and computer science intersect. However, the opportunities and prospects offered by this type of collaboration outweigh risk factors. Amid the many threats that the modern world poses, the Vademecum Project (and other similar projects) has the task of preserving cultural heritage and creating memory. Constantly evolving digital tools and technological advances are indispensable in this mission.
Copyright (c) 2025 Elżbieta Nowosielska, Michał Raczkowski, Adrianna Sznapik https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Dealing with ‘Prime Evil’ in South Africa: The Eugene de Kock Case between Justice, Reconciliation, and Memory
The case of Eugene de Kock epitomizes the way in which South Africa tried to come to terms with its Apartheid past after 1994. His conviction, his imprisonment, his admission of guilt, and his eventual release gave rise to a broad national debate in South Africa and also to the question of how and under what conditions national reconciliation is possible. At the same time, it is also an example of how a state can shape collective memory. De Kock’s example shows that criminal justice, as well as amnesty and rehabilitation, can promote a form of remembrance that emphasizes the role of the individual more than social and political issues and challenges. The article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the delicate balance between justice and reconciliation, as well as between justice and memory.
Copyright (c) 2025 Georgi Verbeeck https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Turning Memories into Power: Swiss Archives as a Tool of Republican Policymaking in the Second Half of the Early Modern Period
Although research has greatly contributed to our understanding about the creation and managing of early modern archives, their role as the state memory institutions is still rarely discussed. Even in the relatively well-researched case of the early modern Swiss Confederation (also known as the Old Swiss Confederacy), the role remains little studied in some states, particularly rural microstates. Drawing on sources from two city-states (Zurich and Lucerne) as well as two rural microstates (Obwalden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden), the article aims to analyze the reciprocal relationship between the archives and political decision-making bodies, namely the respective councils in the age of republicanism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. An archive was widely considered “the soul of the state” and a cornerstone of political decision-making. As such, it was not only seen as a source of guiding and legitimization, but also as a correcting force. Recollections of the past were a typical feature of republicanism with its Roman and Greek models. It was believed that the correction of the present was to be found in the past; therefore, the councils assigned great importance to the keeping of minutes and other records, which, once they entered the archive, ensured a long-lasting political influence. However, archival materials were not supposed to mirror reality but rather an ideal de facto aristocratic state. If the reality did not fit this picture, the records were not created, or alternatively, destroyed or manipulated in order to reinforce the predominant social structure to mirror the ideal.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jan Haugner https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Authors Guidelines prepared by the Editorial Board
Relevant Tomorrow, 2023, Vol. 3, No. 23–24
Copyright (c) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Special Issue "Europe. Capital. Transformations: Vilnius in the 19th–21st Centuries" Dedicated to the 700th anniversary of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and the letters of the Grand Duke Gediminas The special issue compiled and edited by Ilona Strumickienė and Darius Žiemelis
Introduction to the Special Issue of “Relevant Tomorrow” Dedicated to Vilnius in the Nineteenth–Twenty-First Centuries
The introduction presents the special issue of the journal Relevant Tomorrow entitled “Europe. Capital. Transformations: Vilnius in the Nineteenth–Twenty-First Centuries,” dedicated to the 700th anniversary of Vilnius and the letters of Gediminas, celebrated in 2023. The chronological boundaries of this issue cover the last 200 years, during which Vilnius has experienced fundamental social, demographic and political changes: transforming from a provincial city of the Russian Empire, a German-occupied administrative center, a Polish provincial town, the capital of independent Republic of Lithuania and later, Soviet-occupied country to the capital of one of the EU countries. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the special issue considers and analyzes the changes related to Vilnius, their origins, current situation and future expectations. The articles are presented in thematic groups: 1) Places of memory and oblivion in Vilnius; 2) Multicultural Vilnius; 3) Vilnius as an administrative, economic, political, cultural and scientific center; 4) Urban and architectural development of Vilnius; 5) Vilnius in art; 6) Communicating Vilnius; 7) Visions of Vilnius’ future; and 8) Vilnius and nature. This special issue of Relevant Tomorrow is another contribution to the studies of Vilnius.
Copyright (c) 2023 Ilona Strumickienė, Darius Žiemelis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Debate Regarding the Swedish Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities: Politics, Postmodernism and the Purpose of a Museum
In September 2016, the journalist Ola Wong wrote an op-ed in the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, “The Government Is Turning the Museums into Propaganda Centers.” Wong claimed to have seen the change at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm, arguing that it had shifted from intellectual position to “sensitiveness to shallow opinions in the media and politics.” The text started the debate that would continue for several years. The purpose of the article is to deconstruct the debate regarding the Swedish museums over the last eight years, paying a special attention to the debate between Wong and various representatives from Swedish museums. The analysis focuses on claims regarding the purpose of a museum made in the debate, using previous theoretical discussions on the topic. The study showed that the participants in the discussion were unable to agree on the nature of issue. This reminds of what Frida Beckman and Nora Hämäläinen call kultursidesmissförstånd, or a “feuilletonistic misunderstanding,” where the participants never agree on common ground, misinterpret and misunderstand each other. Moreover, they disagree on situation in question and hold incompatible views.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rikard Friberg von Sydow https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Täterort Topography as Object: The Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism and Modern Infrastructures of Memory
Munich’s significance as the birthplace of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP) was emphasized in propaganda and urban planning of the Nazi regime. Among buildings, adapted for the party’s needs, was the Palais Barlow, which became the headquarters of the NSDAP until it was bombed by the Allies in 1945. Today, the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism (NS Doku), opened in 2015, stands on this site. This article examines the relation between the presence of the NS Doku in the local topography, which is deeply associated with the NS regime, and contemporary contexts of approaching the difficult past. It traces the beginnings of this institution and sets them in the decades-long debates on acknowledging the city’s “brown” past. It claims the pivotal importance of connectedness of various factors, including aesthetics and functionality, local politics and sustainability, in fulfilling its educational role and reshaping the character of Königsplatz that served as rally grounds under the NSDAP regime.
Copyright (c) 2025 Izabela Paszko https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0