The past is (not) another country: discursive dynamics and representations of the colonial war in digital space

Abstract

This chapter aims to map a part of the digital mnemonic circuit for the colonial war. Starting with an analysis of blogs – the first platform to host (re)creations and (re)writings of the memories of war veterans – before moving on to the labyrinthine paths of Facebook, the aim will be to trace the social representations, narratives, and discursive dynamics associated with the colonial war that are present in Portuguese digital space. The digital is understood here as a mnemonic space that has been expanding in the last two decades (between 2000 and 2020), due to the advent and democratisation of internet access. Consequently, digital platforms have become – among other things – sites for the formation and convergence of communities based on shared common interests or experiences. In fact, blogs, followed by Facebook, have enabled Portuguese veterans to find comrades they had lost touch with long ago and/or contact others who lived through the colonial war, as they had done. The dynamics established in digital space have galvanised the (co-)narrativisation of lived experiences, ensuring that their memories and political and socioeconomic demands have been inscribed in digital public space and beyond.