Daniel Chatard Project I

The project „Aux Armes Citoyens“ deals with the staging of military parades on national holidays in different countries. For many states, these displays of power are important opportunities to convey and consolidate an image of national identity that often makes use of military conflicts in the past. Violent conflicts or threats to the state are thus recalled to shape the collective consciousness of a nation and to enhance social cohesion. For example, in Russia under Putin, Victory Day, which commemorates the end of the Second World War, has been given increasing importance. For some years now, the public is invited to the march of the „immortal regiment“, carrying portraits of deceased family members who were veterans. While in France on national day, great attention is paid to the fight against terror, the Austrian armed forces address the potential threat to security posed by migratory movements. The invocation of a common, collective identity is thus intertwined with the display of military power and the demarcation from a supposedly threatening outside world.