(Re)Invention of memory. Constitutional narratives in Central European preambles – sombre or luminous?

Having faced a number of political ruptures over the course of the past one hundred and twenty five years, Central European countries have a particularly close relationship with the past, the collective memories of which are reinterpreted unusually often (compared to their Western counterparts) to fit the most recent political narratives. These omnipresent discourses, subject to the memory politics of the authorities, also found their way to the preambles of the respective countries’ constitutions in the aftermath of 1989, on the one hand setting the tone for their interpretation and, on the other hand, elevating the national imageries through their setting in stone as an introductory element of the highest law of the land. The purpose of this chapter is to engage comparatively with the collective memories present in the preambles of the region’s constitutions, focusing on the role of the sombre—the negative—and the luminous—the positive—collective memories enshrined within. In the first, theoretical part of the paper, the author introduces the key ideas of the preamble and collective memory, proposing his own reinterpretation of Hobsbawm’s concept of the invention of tradition as reinvention of memory. The second part of the paper is devoted to comparative engagement with preambles of all Central European countries, following the definition of Central Europe recently put forward by the author, analysing them through the theoretical lens established earlier. Ultimately, in the third part of the chapter, the author discusses the findings of his investigations, pondering the similarities and differences between the different Central European preambles and answering the eponymous question in an attempt to uncover the spirit of the region.