MEDIATING TRAUMATIC HERITAGE: THE ROLE OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN CURATING MEMORY MUSEUMS

This thesis explores the use of immersive VR technologies in memory museums, focusing on their role in shaping commemorative practices and curatorial approaches in dealing with difficult heritage. Immersive technologies are often regarded as an effective way to enhance viewers' empathetic engagement, with the aim of fostering socially oriented political awareness and advancing justice. This research critically revises this position. The research draws on interdisciplinary theory within the fields of memory studies and museum studies, applying Alison Landsberg's concept of prosthetic memory, Andreas Huyssen's reflections on memory in late capitalism, Pierre Nora's notion of lieux de mémoire, and critiques by Judith Butler and Silke Arnold-de Simine to investigate the ethical and curatorial implications of using VR in trauma-related contexts. The methodology is based on a triangulation of methods: critical discourse analysis of the public controversy surrounding the new memorial project in Babyn Yar; thematic analysis of expert interviews with museum professionals; and content analysis of the VR project at the GULAG History Museum, interpreted through the lens of contemporary memory theories. The analysis demonstrates that rather than serving primarily as a tool for fostering empathy or transmitting affective memory, VR technologies are most effective as educational instruments within complex pedagogical programs. Furthermore, they offer new ways of interacting with - and even constructing - spaces of memory. The findings contribute to current debates on the use of immersive media in memory museums.