PRESS RELEASE

 Institute of Social History „ProMemoria” - February 15 2011

 Taking into consideration the impressive evolution of the Romanian historiography and historiographies of the world, the recent achievements in the field of studying the past, a group of historians from the Republic of Moldova, we decided to constitute the Institute of Social History “ProMemoria” (ISH “ProMemoria”). In this respect we assume that in a democratic society anyone who has the respective training has the right to freely express his/her own position on one or another subject. Constitution of the ISH “ProMemoria” becomes an objective necessity for the current historical research, as well as for the whole society. In a democratic society, the historian has the right to free choice of research topic, the right to freely study of archive documents, the right to freely express his/her conclusions. In a democratic society all historians activate in equal conditions.

 We fully share the position of outstanding French specialists who, on December 12 2005, launched an Appeal in which they stressed: “Historians accept no dogma, respect no prohibition, and ignore every taboo. Historical truth is different from morals. The historian’s task is not to extol or to blame, but to explain. … In a free state, neither the Parliament nor the judicial courts have the right to define historical truth. State policy, even with best case will, is not history policy.” 

 In the post-Soviet Moldova collective memory, until recently, kept the distance from the official memory; this fact made impossible to use the concepts of private memory and public memory in studies of historical restitution. The promotion of the collective memory reorganising process on behalf of the power discourse, by relying on the ideological patterns and clichés inherited from the Soviet period alongside with the ideological practices of nation-building, emphasises the necessity to apply the theoretical and methodological principles developed in the field of memory studies. In this case, the Republic of Moldova, as the whole South-East European area, has a chance to become a “realm of memory”; furthermore the research and applying of EU countries politics of memory can offer vast possibilities for exploration, assuming and sharing the historical past.

 The objectives we proposed to be achieved through the ISH “ProMemoria” activity are as following: Promotion and implementation of new methods and fields of studying and teaching history; Elaboration, implementation / realisation, evaluation, and monitoring of local / national and international levels projects in order to develop the scientific-didactical potential in the field of historical sciences; Organizing of seminars, symposia, conferences, regular meetings with attracting qualified specialists in the key areas of our activity; Promoting the editorial activities and training of specialists in the field of historical sciences; Propagation of historical knowledge in the republican mass-media and abroad; Professional assistance in the field through offering the access to information, advising and training; Creating a specialized library, accessible to interested persons.

 The administration of ISH “ProMemoria” expresses the gratitude to all those who attended the inaugural meeting of the Institute and would like to thank the administration of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova for their assistance in the process of organizing this event.

 Sincerely,

Administration of ISH “ProMemoria”