The Meanings of the Built Environment : A Semiotic and Geographical Approach to Monuments in the Post-Soviet Era

This volume analyses the interpretation of the built environment by connecting analytical frames developed in the fields of semiotics and geography. It focuses on specific components of the built environment: monuments and memorials, as it is easily recognisable that they are erected to promote specific meanings in the public space. The volume concentrates on monuments and memorials in post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe, with a focus on Estonia. Elites in post-Soviet countries have often used monuments to shape meanings reflecting the needs of post-Soviet culture and society. However, individuals can interpret monuments in ways that are different from those envisioned by their designers. In Estonia, the relocation and removal of Soviet monuments and the erection of new ones has often created political divisions and resulted in civil disorder. This book examines the potential gap between the designers' expectations and the users' interpretations of monuments and memorials. The main argument is that connecting semiotics and geography can provide an innovative framework to understand how monuments convey meanings and how these are variously interpreted at societal levels. Contents List of Figures List of Infographics 1 Connecting semiotics and cultural geography: A new approach to the study of monuments and memorials Part A: A Semiotic and geographical approach to monuments in transitional societies 2 Toward a semiotic and geographical approach to monuments 3 The multiple meanings of monuments in transitional societies: The case of Estonia 4 The cultural reinvention of monuments and memorials Part B: The cultural reinvention of monuments in Estonia 5 Removing and relocating the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn as a translation strategy 6 Erecting new politically-charged memorials: The War of Independence Victory Column 7 The coexistence of old and new: The memorial landscape of Maarjamäe 8 Erecting new urban decorations: The Kissing Students of Tartu Conclusions: Towards a semiotics of post-Soviet monuments List of references Index