Remapping the European Cultural Memory: the Case of Julia Kristeva's <em>Murder in Byzantium</em>

Authors

  • Bianca Rus A PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled "The Ethical and Political Function of Revolt in Julia Kristeva's W ork," examines the question of European identity and European cultural memory in Kristeva's fictional and theoretical work.

Abstract

This article considers Julia Kristeva's novel Murder in Byzantium in the context of some of the most pressing ethical and political dilemmas faced by Europe today, regarding the role of religion and the inclusion of religious references in the Constitution of European Union. It traces Kristeva's remapping of the European tradition, and places feminine creativity at the core of her analysis. I argue that this remapping that revalorizes feminine creativity and sensibility envisions the question of the eternal Europe as an illusion to be endlessly reinvented. Résumé Cet article considère le roman Murder in Byzantium par Julia Kristeva dans le contexte du dilemme éthique et politique le plus sérieux auquel l’Europe fait face aujourd’hui, en ce qui touche le rôle de la religion et l’inclusion de références religieuses dans la Constitution de l’Union européenne. Il trace le remodelage que fait Kristeva de la tradition européenne, et place la créativité féministe au cœur de son analyse. Je fais valoir que ce remodelage qui revalorise la créativité et la sensibilité féministe visualise la question de l’Europe éternelle comme une illusion qui est réinventée sans fin.

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Published

2010-01-01

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 1 (2010): 35th Anniversary Volume

Section

Original Research

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