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The Lexicon of Memory in Flavius Josephus.
A Contextual Analysis of μνήμη.

Speaker

Francesca Lorenzini, Roma Tre

A review of the entire corpus of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus reveals that the term μνήμη
not only appears on 114 occasions but, depending on the narrative context, also takes on meanings
with different conceptual and expressive potential. This analysis aims to examine some of these
instances and uses of μνήμη by Josephus, while seeking to highlight the narrative versatility and the
performative nature of this term. It cannot be a simple coincidence that μνήμη appears twice in the
programmatic prologue of Bellum Iudaicum, the first work by the Jewish historian. This term may
in fact be employed by Josephus to give voice and form to a traumatic memory – namely, the
memory of a testis-auctor involved in the act of war – a memory that is often a source of pain for
Josephus and thus also a cause of incommunicability and narrative interruption (BJ 5.182).
Alternatively, μνήμη can be understood as a wholly personal ability to be proud of, allowing for a
vivid historiographical recollection of events, thereby exposing the alleged falsity of previous
accounts (cf. BJ 1.15-16; Life 8). Moreover, μνήμη does not always refer to Josephus’s experience
but may refer to the memory of a figure whose perspective the Jewish historian adopts in order to
“objectively” recall certain events (e.g., Titus, BJ 7.112). Finally, μνήμη can be employed as an
apologetic weapon at the historian’s disposal to proudly assert the antiquity of his ἔθνος against
certain Greek historiography that deemed the Jews an ἔθνος without μνήμη (AJ 14.1; C. Ap. 1.2;
1.6-10; 213-214). The aim will be to demonstrate how Flavius Josephus, through all these uses of
μνήμη, was able to highlight “memory” as an autonomous historiographical category in each
instance.

“From Dogma to Dialogue”. Instances of Agonistic Memory in Bolzano
 

Speaker

Martina Ubertis Bocca, Utrecht

The title of this presentation quotes the expression chosen for the dedication, early this year, of a
commemorative stele in front of the premises of Eurac Research in Bolzano, as paradigmatic of the
city’s way of dealing with contested architectures. This talk focuses on the Monumento alla Vittoria
in Bolzano, which has generated political and cultural controversy since its inauguration in the late
1920s. Conceived by the Fascist regime as a celebration of Italy’s victory in the First World War,
the monument also functioned as a symbolic assertion of Latin and Italian superiority over the
region’s German-speaking and Austrian heritage. The tensions surrounding the monument persisted
after the Second World War and continued into the twenty-first century, reflecting conflicts over
identity and memory in South Tyrol.
Drawing on the concept of agonistic memory, this presentation examines how monuments can
evolve from embodying antagonistic and exclusionary narratives to becoming spaces that
accommodate multiple interpretations of the past. Bolzano’s historical position as a border city
provides the context for analysing the relationship between monuments, warfare, and contested
memory. The presentation further explores how the Monument to Victory continues to shape
contemporary political narratives surrounding nationalism and Italian supremacy. In doing so, it
argues that the monument offers an important case study for understanding the dynamics of
contested heritage and memory politics in post-conflict societies.

Chair

Thomas van de Putte, Università di Trento