Chapter 15 - Culture and Intergroup Relations: The Role of Social Representations of History

Abstract

This chapter explicates the use of the concept of social representations of history, and shows how it can function with respect to group identity construction and agenda setting. These representations include charters that serve a normative function of warranting group attitudes and actions by explaining them in terms of key events in the group's history. Charters define roles that confer legitimacy and allow groups to see themselves in a flattering light. They can be mobilized in arguments about legitimacy in dialogues between and within communities and hence may be influenced by confrontation with neighboring groups' accounts of history. When consensually accepted they anchor such debates about legitimacy in that even opponents have to refer to them by denying their relevance. Several ways in which charters can be changed or contested are discussed. Empirical studies of social representations of national histories are currently rare; therefore focus is on the review of empirical work on large cross-national studies of social representations of world history, which are of particular relevance to understanding international relations. Studies that show the relevance of representations of history for group identities and collective emotions, such as collective guilt, are reviewed.