“Disruptions” of Collective Memory: Aspects of Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

Collective memory is not a monolithic body of knowledge and ideas; at times it splinters, shifts to parallel modes of existence, and is sometimes disrupted. Disruptions in collective memory create social tension, which is either overcome through special procedures of commemorative “reset,” or else pushed into a voiceless space. The phenomenological approach, particularly B. Waldenfels’ xenological concept, is useful in analyzing disruptions of collective memory. The metaphor of “wounding” in the context of encountering the Alien, and the analysis of “healing” the lived space through interpretation, which uses the tools of the same lived space, prove fruitful in studying commemorative disruptions. The analysis of “suturing” the commemorative disruptions of the 20 th century shows that the very existence of the disruption is made visible through the use of a new narrative, which allows for a new quality of social solidarity. The collective memory of contemporary Ukraine has several lines of disruption, but we can suppose that some of these are not comprehended in society, due to the lack of an appropriate narrative. One example of such a disruption is the collective memory of displaced persons. This disruption finds its reflection in artistic projects, which strive to stress the idea that the creation of a common commemorative space for displaced persons may provoke civic solidarity, which will then help to preclude further social conflicts.