Remembering (in) the past perfect: Ethical shifts in times

Abstract

The traditional approach towards the research on remembering at a later age has therapeutic connotations. It is usually associated with treatment techniques against depression or dementia. Within the context of social remembering studies, the role of eyewitnesses of the past is routinely assigned to the older generation. Within those research frameworks recollections are often treated as a ready-made means that can help older people to address their current problems. We shall argue that the essential value of remembering at a later age overrides such clinical applications and consists not in reviving the past as it ‘really happened’, but in re-evaluating it. In order to demonstrate this we shall draw on everyday remembering, purposely setting aside any structured form of reminiscing. The analysis will elucidate ethical shifts in attitudes towards the past and contribute to the discussion about the authenticity of memories.