Search

This article provides a comparison of roadside memorials in two European post-communist countries, namely the Czech Republic and Romania. The number of memorials, dedicated to the victims of sudden death, often resulting from traffic accidents, has seen a significant increase in both countries over the last two decades. As the phenomenon appears to be assuming worldwide proportions, the authors have chosen to focus on a comparison of two societies which have widely different approaches towards death and religion. Whereas in the Czech Republic roadside memorials have more to do with the memory of the dead in the here and now, in Romania they are closely interlinked with religious practices and beliefs regarding the soul and the afterlife. Roadside memorials thus reflect the progressive secularisation of Czech society and a religious revival in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]