Department of History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka
Abstract
During World War II, graffiti writing was a particular practice widely used by the People\u27s Liberation Movement (NOP). In this article I am analyzing the meanings and experiences of graffiti writing on three levels, asking three interrelated questions: how was the practice conceived and interpreted by the organizations of the NOP, how it was represented in Partisan media (Glas Istre), and how it was understood and experienced by their authors and witnesses? The article focuses on Istria, precisely on three levels/case studies that are related to the research questions: reports of the People\u27s Liberation Committee of Kastavština, the Glas Istre papers, and memories and experiences of graffiti writers and related subjects. The meanings of both graffiti and the practice of writing were multilayered and articulated differently from diverse social and ideological positions: they were perceived as symbolic "weapons" for the anti-fascist movement, as ways to participate in the struggle and ways of communication of the NOP, and as threats for local communities. For the writers, the practice of graffiti writing was an emotionally and psychologically intense, hazardous life-threating experience
