| Abstract | In this review, I survey the empirical research literature on collective memory work in post-1989 Central-East Europe. Among the central cultural changes that the transformative moment of 1989 represented for the seven former members of the Eastern Bloc was the restructuring of public memory, through new anniversaries, monuments, museums, and apologies. By synthesizing the existing literature, we can discern a number of common threads in public memory across these locations, as well as differences, signaling that each country is charting its own path. Trends point toward preferences for damning the communist history, reviving national traditions, lustrating particular individuals, and hesitating over how to commemorate the 1989 events. There are gaps in the arenas that the literature address, which could be filled by a more representative balance across the seven countries, and toward increased attention to the publicly performed meanings of 1989.
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