The role of cultural memory in construction of collective identity

2021 ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
L.I. Sedova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Imagined Communities ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Traumatic Memory ◽  
The Past

Analyzed are collective identification processes that occur in conjunction with complicated, contradictory processes of glocalization, cultural exchange, emancipation of minorities, national liberation movements, etc. The paper aims to study the collective identity construction in the modern society, using the framework of cultural memory. Links between collective memory and collective identity are theoretically considered; the methodology of “imagined communities” is proposed to explore the collective memory as a resource of social integration. The article argues that the nation state is no longer the dominant basis for identity. Nowadays collectives require a shared memory of the past as the basis for social identity. The paper focuses on a high symbolic value of a remembering history, especially of a cultural trauma. The culturally constructed trauma can appear on the level of groups, and provide integration of community, based on victimization of the past. Thus, the collective traumatic memory can develop a negative collective identity, based on common traumatic experiences. Viewed from “imagined communities” perspective, social trauma is a part of politics of memory that becomes the politics of identity. Using results of sociological research, we distinguish three different versions of memorial paradigm, i.e. oblivion, displacement, and evocation. Such differentiation allows to argue that communities could manage their collective memory as a resource of social identification, and consequently integration.

scholarly journals Rola języka w uwalnianiu się z dziedzicznych traum

Politeja ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2(65)) ◽  
pp. 189-204
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Marcol
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Village

The Role of Language in Releasing from Inherited Traumas. Negotiations of the Social Position of the Silesian Minority in Serbian Banat The aim of the paper is to show the dependence between language, collective memory (also post-memory) and sense of identity. This issue is analysed using the example of an ethnic minority living in the village of Ostojićevo (Banat, Serbia) called ‘Toutowie.’ Their ancestors came in the 19th century from Wisła (Silesian Cieszyn, Poland); they left their homes because of great hunger and were looking for jobs in Banat. Narratives about the past contain traumatic experiences of the past generations transmitted in the Silesian dialect and constituting communicative memory. At the same time, a new Polish national identity is being constructed, supported by institutions and authorities; it carries a new image of the world and creates a new cultural memory. This new identity – shaped on the basis of national categories – leads to changes of its self-identification and gives the opportunity to raise its social position in the multi-ethnic Banat community.

scholarly journals “Examination of Memory” and the Formation of Modern Socio-Cultural Space

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Popova
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Cultural Experience ◽  
Cultural Space ◽  
The Past ◽  
Professional Assessment ◽  
Cultural Sphere ◽  
Cultural Assessment ◽  
Humanistic Knowledge

This article analyses the contemporary Russian sociocultural space, exploring the degree of influence of memories of the past on modern society, the use of images of the past in the formation of actual culture. Cultural memory is a major factor in modern socio-cultural space: it contributes to the way people experience their surroundings and their identity through chosen images and artefacts of the past. Professional assessment by the experts is an important tool in understanding how cultural memory works and how it is utilized in socio-cultural experience. This article presents an attempt to reveal the mechanisms of interpretation of the content of cultural memory and the representation of its meanings by means of culture. The article discusses such problems as the process of preserving, transforming and transmitting cultural memory, as well as the possibility of humanistic knowledge in matters of ”memory examination”, analysis and forecasting of the development of the socio-cultural sphere. Keywords: culture, cultural memory, collective memory, commemorative practices, cultural assessment

Collective Memory: Between Values and Historical Knowledge

2020 ◽  
pp. 124-142
Author(s):  
VICTOR BURLACHUK
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
The State ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future

At the end of the twentieth century, questions of a secondary nature suddenly became topical: what do we remember and who owns the memory? Memory as one of the mental characteristics of an individual’s activity is complemented by the concept of collective memory, which requires a different method of analysis than the activity of a separate individual. In the 1970s, a situation arose that gave rise to the so-called "historical politics" or "memory politics." If philosophical studies of memory problems of the 30’s and 40’s of the twentieth century were focused mainly on the peculiarities of perception of the past in the individual and collective consciousness and did not go beyond scientific discussions, then half a century later the situation has changed dramatically. The problem of memory has found its political sound: historians and sociologists, politicians and representatives of the media have entered the discourse on memory. Modern society, including all social, ethnic and family groups, has undergone a profound change in the traditional attitude towards the past, which has been associated with changes in the structure of government. In connection with the discrediting of the Soviet Union, the rapid decline of the Communist Party and its ideology, there was a collapse of Marxism, which provided for a certain model of time and history. The end of the revolutionary idea, a powerful vector that indicated the direction of historical time into the future, inevitably led to a rapid change in perception of the past. Three models of the future, which, according to Pierre Nora, defined the face of the past (the future as a restoration of the past, the future as progress and the future as a revolution) that existed until recently, have now lost their relevance. Today, absolute uncertainty hangs over the future. The inability to predict the future poses certain challenges to the present. The end of any teleology of history imposes on the present a debt of memory. Features of the life of memory, the specifics of its state and functioning directly affect the state of identity, both personal and collective. Distortion of memory, its incorrect work, and its ideological manipulation can give rise to an identity crisis. The memorial phenomenon is a certain political resource in a situation of severe socio-political breaks and changes. In the conditions of the economic crisis and in the absence of a real and clear program for future development, the state often seeks to turn memory into the main element of national consolidation.

Savoring Polishness: History and Tradition in Contemporary Polish Food Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 088832542110634
Author(s):  
Agata Bachórz ◽  
Fabio Parasecoli
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
The West ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Current Concerns ◽  
Food Media

This article examines the future-oriented use of the culinary past in Poland’s food discourse through a qualitative analysis of popular food media (printed magazines and TV). We analyze how interpretations of food and culinary practices from the past are connected to contemporary debates. We contend that media representations of the culinary past co-create projects of Polish modernization in which diverse voices vie for hegemony by embracing different forms of engagement with the West and by imagining the future shape of the community. We distinguish between a pragmatic and a foodie type of culinary capital and focus on how they differently and at times paradoxically frame cultural memory and tradition. We observe the dynamics of collective memory and oblivion, and assess how interpretations of specific periods in Poland’s past are negotiated in the present through representations of material culture and practices revolving around food, generating not only contrasting evaluations of the past but also diverging economies of the future. Finally, we explore tradition as a set of present-day values, attitudes, and practices that are connected with the past, but respond to current concerns and visions of the future.

scholarly journals Representations of suppressed indigenous cultural memories: the communities of Sami of Finland and Kurdish of Turkey

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-175
Author(s):  
Adél Furu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Folk Music ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Political Discourses ◽  
The Past ◽  
Traditional Songs ◽  
State Interventions

In my paper I intend to examine how the historical marginalization of Sami and Kurdish history and culture affects the cultural identity of these ethnic groups. I discuss how recent political discourses and state interventions have influenced the images of the past and identity politics in the Sami communities living in Finland and in the Kurdish society living in Turkey. Furthermore, I describe how these assimilated minorities have alienated from their own identity due to a damage of their collective memory caused by devastating historical events. The paper also focuses on the ways these two minorities give meaning to the past and strengthen their cultural identities through different forms of art. Both Samis and Kurds express their identities in several creative ways. Their historical realities, individual histories, memories of assimilation and common values are reflected in joiks, folk music and cinema. These are strong ways of remembering and expressions of identity in both cultures. Traditional songs, films, documentaries reveal histories, reproduce cultures and shape the memories of both Sami and Kurdish people. Therefore, I will discuss how the patterns of their cultural memory have an impact on the representation of their identities in the above art forms.

scholarly journals Pamćenje hrvatskog društva na primjeru Vukovara – “grada heroja”

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelika Zanki
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
War Of Independence ◽  
The Past ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The City

Remembering in Croatian society as exemplified by the “hero city” Vukovar The article concerns forms of maintaining memory in Croatian society. Its starting point is the term sites of memory (lieux de mémoire), introduced by Pierre Nora, who defines them as characteristic and symbolic elements that ensure the presence of the past in the present. After the Croatian War of Independence, sites of memory became a foundation for building a new, partly modified Croatian identity. This raises the question about the role the politics of remembering has had in the Croatian collective identity and the purposes for which it has been formed.The analysis is based on the most popular place of memory – the fall of Vukovar. In Croatian consciousness, Vukovar is a “hero city,” a symbol of the valiant fight against the Great Serbian aggressor during the War. Its fall is an important element of the conflict that is still ongoing between Croats and Serbs, both regionally (in the city) and more broadly (throughout Croatia). In her analysis, the author was trying to see the influence of sites of memory not only on the group which created them but in a wider context as well.The more general aim was to study the discourse of memory and attempt to determine, with reference to specific examples, whether the Croats’ collective memory is a factor of integration or conflict. Pamięć społeczeństwa chorwackiego na przykładzie Vukovaru – „miasta-bohatera”Artykuł dotyczy form pamięci w społeczeństwie chorwackim. Punktem wyjścia stało się pojęcie miejsc pamięci, które autor, Pierre Nora, zdefiniował jako charakterystyczne i symboliczne elementy zapewniające obecność przeszłości w teraźniejszości. Po wojnie ojczyźnianej stały się one podstawą do tworzenia się nowej, zmodyfikowanej tożsamości chorwackiej. Rodzi to pytanie – jaką rolę pełni polityka pamięci w chorwackiej tożsamości zbiorowej i dla jakich celów jest formowana.Analiza opiera się na najpopularniejszym miejscu pamięci – upadku Vukovaru. Vukovar jest w świadomości Chorwatów „miastem bohaterem”, symbolem heroicznej walki z wielkoserbskim agresorem podczas wojny. Jest też ważnym elementem wciąż istniejącego konfliktu między Chorwatami i Serbami w perspektywie wąskiej (w mieście) i szerokiej (obie narodowości w Chorwacji).Autorka starała się zauważyć nie tylko wpływ miejsc pamięci na grupę, w której powstały, lecz także ich szerszy kontekst. Celem była analiza problemu pamięci i próba określenia w odniesieniu do konkretnych przykładów, czy chorwacka pamięć zbiorowa jest czynnikiem integracji czy konfliktu.

scholarly journals De poëtica van het verbeelden van geschiedenis op broadcast televisie

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Berber Hagedoorn
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Broadcast Television ◽  
Production Studies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Television Producers

In modern society, television is one of the most important media for presenting the past. This article focuses on the poetics of history on television broadcasts in relation to the manner in which these broadcasts present our past as well as our collective memory. This study rebuts criticism of television as a medium for historical accounts by demonstrating how professionals in the field actively display an extensive knowledge and understanding of the past, provide frameworks for the contextualization of audiovisual materials and depth, and apply and operate specific functions of different representation tools in their productions. To gain insight into the way television producers interact with history, this study combines qualitative textual analysis of the broadcasts and an approach from the field of production studies: diverse in-depth interviews and analysis of internal documents. The case study chosen for this research was Andere Tijden, a history program based on archive material and produced by NTR (formerly known as NPS) and VPRO for the Dutch Broadcast Foundation, from 2000 onwards. The case study demonstrates how television producers’ mediation of history is an important practice in the search for history and memories and the conservation and presentation thereof. The analysis reveals the possibility of more cohesive poetics with regard to history on broadcast television and offers insight into the objectives, strategies and conventions of television producers. Special attention is paid to the more implicit practices of selection and interpretation of material by television producers as curators of the past. These implicit practices are made explicit on a cultural-historical, institutional and textual level.

The Pride and Prejudice of the Western World

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 261-275
Author(s):  
Karl Ivan Solibakke
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Oral Narrative ◽  
Western World ◽  
Pride And Prejudice ◽  
Informal Practices ◽  
The One ◽  
Interpretive Communities

The article examines controversies arising from the perception of the instruments of cultural memory and the logic of their transmissibility. On the one hand we have a carefully selected, temporally and geographically orchestrated body of texts, the Great Books, which are an enduring testament to the authority of Western intellectual artifacts. On the other hand, Jacques Derrida’s Archive Fever locates a furtive transformation of collective memory in the informal practices exemplified by oral narrative and public discourse. Not only do both models rely on archives as a functional instrument of collective identity, but they also value them as institutions circumscribing social and cultural conventions. However, when synchronizing the traces embedded in oral discourse and written documents, the repositories are frequently subject to manipulation by interpretive communities. Recognizing the processes underlying archives and artifacts is essential to comprehending how canons and canonic practices impact Western cultural memory.

The transnational mythscape of the Second World War

2019 ◽  
pp. 175069801986315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoav Galai
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Second World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Memory Politics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Second World ◽  
Made In

Since the early 2000s, the study of European Memory politics has proliferated, but has come to mean different things. It focuses either on the emergence of Holocaust remembrance as a shared cultural memory, disputes within European Union institutions over what the European collective memory should be, or diplomatic standoffs between Russia and its former satellites. I argue that while such complex multi-level memory politics defy an overarching theoretical categorisation, they can be understood through a comprehensive approach, which is achieved by considering the different narratives of the past to be interpretations of a common historical occurrence. This article argues that European Memory Politics as a whole occurs within a transnational mythscape of the Second World War, in which international actors promote their interpretations as simplified myths while warding off competing myths that negatively depict their mythical selves. An emergent narrative alliance between Russia and Israel, made in response to European memory politics, is used to illustrate the utility of the transnational mythscape framework for understanding memory politics beyond the national sphere.

scholarly journals Pentecostalism as a Theological Tradition

Pneuma ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 521-535
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Vondey
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Institutional Critique ◽  
The Past ◽  
Anthony Giddens ◽  
Pentecostal Theology ◽  
The Future ◽  
Late Modern ◽  
Normative Content

Abstract The concern for a theological tradition among Pentecostals responds to pressing questions of the recognition, invention, and rejection of tradition in late modern society and religion. Tradition, to put it succinctly, is a concern not for the past but for the future of Pentecostalism. This essay critically examines the challenges of designating pentecostal theology as a global tradition by asking what theological elements constitute Pentecostalism as a tradition, what are the dominant theological patterns of its reenactment, and how these constructs aid or resist the formation of pentecostal theology in the future. The quest for answers follows the five essential patterns of tradition proposed by Anthony Giddens: collective memory, ritual expression, a formulaic conception of truth, guardians of the tradition, and its normative content. The results form an ideological, historical, and institutional critique of Pentecostalism and its existential challenges as a theological tradition.

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