At the 2026 World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), held in New York City from 28-30 May, members of the MEMPOP project participated in roundtables, panels and other academic and fieldwork activities. Vjeran Pavlaković and Eric Ušić were part of the roundtable titled “Legacies and Meanings of Antifascism in Yugoslavia and Beyond”, together with Nikolina Židek (IE University Madrid) and Jelena Đureinović (University of Vienna). Pavlaković presented his research on Yugoslav volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, focusing on the memory of Rijeka’s Spaniards (Španci) and efforts to create a mnemonic mural in Rijeka’s public space. Ušić spoke about historical (post)World War II graffiti in the Northern Adriatic borderland, focusing on the mnemonic traces of antifascism and Italo-Slavic solidarity in the region.

Following the participants’ presentations, a lively and substantial discussion unfolded, addressing questions surrounding the evaluation of both historical and contemporary antifascism and internationalist solidarity, the role and significance of memory in present-day post-Yugoslav societies, as well as the place of popular culture – including graffiti, film, and music – in the broader representation of historical events and collective memory narratives.

In addition to the panel, Pavlaković took part in the book discussion dedicated to  Nikolina Židek’s recently published study “The Croatian Diaspora in Argentina: From Martyrs to Memory Guardians“, while also chairing the panel “War, Memory and Belonging in the Balkans”.

Beyond the conference itself, the stay in New York also provided an ideal opportunity for fieldwork and the exploration of the city’s urban graffitiscape. During two days of fieldwork – which, given the scale of NYC, can only be described as a preliminary glimpse into its vast urban landscape – the MEMPOP researchers discovered and documented a wide range of intriguing and multilayered graffiti pieces and murals connected to New York and American memory culture.

Among the documented works were graffiti and murals dedicated to the city’s cultural past, political struggles, and musical legacies, as well as several murals devoted to pop-cultural icons.

Particular attention was given to Brooklyn’s memorial murals honoring the late rappers Old Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan and The Notorious B.I.G. These murals function as sites of memory, inscribing and preserving the cultural legacy of artists whose music, lyrics and public personas profoundly shaped the identity and collective memory of New York’s urban communities and the hip-hop subculture.

Alongside the musical, hip-hop murals, the researchers also documented murals in Brooklyn and Harlem dedicated to the history, culture, and heritage of New York’s Black community, as well as to social struggles and prominent historical figures whose activism and public engagement secured them an important place within the city’s culture of memory and collective remembrance.