To commemorate the 80th anniversary of liberation from fascism, Spomin na osvoboditev: študije o narodno-osvobodilnem boju v (post) jugoslovanskem kontekstu, a new book by Gal Kirn, has been published by the University of Ljubljana Press, Faculty of Arts. An in-depth discussion with the author, and philosopher Bara Kolenc was recorded as part of the Besedne postaje promotional series hosted by the Bookstore of the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana.

Why is it still important to think in a “partisan way”? What does it mean to make films or create politically engaged art inspired by partisan struggle?

Far from being a relic of the past, the partisan legacy, Kirn argues, offers a critical lens through which to reflect on our dystopian present. His book suggests that a return to utopian moments of the past may help us imagine—and feel—alternative futures.

The monograph offers a critical perspective on a historical legacy often dismissed as outdated. In the face of growing dystopian visions of the future, the book argues for a return to the utopian past of the Yugoslav partisan struggle—not as nostalgia, but as a resource for rethinking and reshaping the present.

The opening chapter analyzes processes of historical revisionism and the erasure of antifascist memory, showing how dominant ethnonationalist ideologies and revisionist historiographies have aligned with neoliberal restructuring (e.g., privatization and denationalization). Against a present that denies alternative futures and demonizes emancipatory pasts, the book seeks to recover and reassemble emancipatory fragments—especially those tied to Yugoslavia’s national liberation struggle—and reactivate them through political and artistic case studies.

The book is open access and available through the University of Ljubljana Publishing House..