Benčić, A.

The article focuses on conflicted heritage of war of concentration camp Jasenovac (1941–1945), i.e. on manipulations and controversies which surrounds the history and collective memories of “Jasenovac”, and which still fuels conflicting debates in the present concerning difficult Jasenovac wartime past. In the introduction the author demonstrate the prominent role of Holocaust memorials, which is followed by a review of the key socio-historical and sociopolitical circumstances which influenced the emergence, as well as long term duration of still controversial and conflicting heritage of Jasenovac in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia in the 20th century. Within these socio-historical circumstances, manipulations with the number of victims of the Second World War and especially of the camp Jasenovac are analyzed, as well as the controversies surrounding the permanent museum exhibition of Jasenovac Memorial Site. Moreover, the analysis and interpretation of various opinions towards this museum exhibition given by different stakeholders – from political elites, professionals, intellectuals, communities of victims, wide circle of visitors – shows that while some criticism towards the concept of exhibition reveals a real reflection of the opinions of social actors, some other criticism is part of the manipulation that continues to confine almost all contemporary narratives about Jasenovac, including the museum setting. In other words, from the politicization and manipulation of broad spectrum of topics related to Jasenovac concentration camp, the museum’s presentation of Jasenovac tragedy is not excluded. Contested historical narratives which continues to border Jasenovac, while this former camp remains the symbol of the conflicted heritage of the Second World War, are still an obstacle to decisive confrontation of contemporary Croatian society towards its own difficult past

Concentration Camp Jasenovac: Conflicted Heritage of War and Contested Museum Exhibition

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