Transmission Of Collective Memory Research Articles

Old Norse Studies and Collective Memory: An Introduction

ABSTRACT: This special issue of Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada is the result of a number of sessions organized by guest editors Yoav Tirosh and Simon Nygaard for the 2018 International Medieval Congress (IMC) at Leeds and supported by the Memory and the Pre-Modern North network. This introduction serves to contextualize the study of collective memory within the field of Old Norse as well as introduce some of the key theoretical concepts discussed in the issue. The formation and transmission of collective memory in pre-literate and literate societies are explained, with an eye towards the cognitive elements at play. Finally, the issueʼs articles are discussed, as is the logic of the compilation. This special issue hopes to expand the already thriving field of collective memory studies in Old Norse, building upon the work already done and offering new directions forward.

CONSTRUÇÃO E APLICAÇÃO DE MODELO METODOLÓGICO COM BASE NA TRÍPLICE MIMESE DE RICOEUR

Este artigo expõe o processo de construção e aplicação de um modelo metodológico operaconalizado a partir da tríplice mimese de Ricoeur (1994), compondo os processos narrativos de pré-figuração (mimese I), configuração (mimese II) e refiguração (mimese III). O desenho metodológico, de abordagem qualitativa, foi aplicado em estudo sobre narrativas acerca do fenômeno social da peregrinação e suas memórias. O corpus abrange narrativas jornalísticas sobre os caminhos de Santiago de Compostela coletadas em reportagens publicadas em jornais brasileiros (Estado de São Paulo e Folha de São Paulo) e portugueses (Público e Correio da Manhã), e narrativas de peregrinos coletadas por meio da aplicação de questionário. Transmissão da memória coletiva, atualização das memórias dos grupos, bem como as representações para a memória associada ao fenômeno da peregrinação são abordagens da investigação. Os resultados revelam que a perspectiva qualitativa da pesquisa possibilitou interpretações de realidades sociais. As conclusões indicam que o modelo metodológico apresentado permite investigar fenômeno social em acontecimentos narrativos.

Коллективная память и поколенческий разрыв

The article is devoted to the problem of the transmission of collective memory between generations and the influence of generation gaps on these processes. Given the complexity factor of the concept itself, the ambiguity of its interpreta­tion, and the presence of numerous, sometimes mutually exclusive approaches and research methods the question of the nature of the broadcast and the struc­ture of the transmitted content remains relevant. The best framework for the study of collective memory is the generation within which collective memory is most supported by shared memories and emotions. It is assumed that genera­tional gaps are best used to study the phenomenon of collective memory transla­tion. The possible factors for the formation of such gaps are analyzed. It is shown that the periods of large intergenerational discontinuities become points of bifurcation in the dynamics of collective memory, and cultural content and “memory figure”, as well as the depth of generational discontinuity depend, among other things, on the mode of information transfer. The advent of the digi­tal era forms a generation with different mentality and system of competencies, the significant cultural context is changing accompanying the formation of the cultural memory of any generation. The modern generational gap is deepening due to the emergence of new opportunities that gives the virtual space and at the same time new dangers it creates. This actualizes the point of the research when a new cultural context is just beginning to shape the cultural memory of the digi­tal generation. The article shows that this issue is becoming a leading one for studying the problems of cultural security.

Transmission of Collective Memory and Jewish Identity in Post-War Jewish Generations through War Souvenirs

The article includes a sample of testimonies and the results of sociological research on the life stories of Jews born in the aftermath of World War II in two countries, Czechoslovakia and Luxembourg. At that time, Czechoslovak Jews were living through the era of de-Stalinization and their narratives offer new insights into this segment of Jewish post-war history that differ from those of Jews living in liberal, democratic European states. The interviews explore how personal documents, photos, letters and souvenirs can help maintain personal memories in Jewish families and show how this varies from one generation to the next. My paper illustrates the importance of these small artifacts for the transmission of Jewish collective memory in post-war Jewish generations. The case study aims to answer the following research questions: What is the relationship between the Jewish post-war generation and its heirlooms? Who is in charge of maintaining Jewish family heirlooms within the family? Are there any intergenerational differences when it comes to keeping and maintaining family history? The study also aims to find out whether the political regime influences how Jewish objects are kept by Jewish families.

PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE WAYS OF MEMORY AND HISTORY

ABSTRACTPhilosopher Jeffrey Barash seeks to clarify the concept of collective memory, which has taken on wide‐ranging meanings in contemporary scholarship. Returning to the original insight of sociologist Maurice Halbwachs during the 1920s, he grounds the concept in the living social memory of the present, whose sphere is widened by its capacity to draw upon a past beyond its ken through the symbolization of its remembrance. He offers two preliminary propositions: first, there is a history to the way philosophers have contextualized collective memory through the ages; second, there is a politics in the transmission of collective memory, highly visible in the uses of memory by mass media in the contemporary age. He builds his argument around four interrelated interpretations concerning: the ever more circumscribed role attributed to collective memory in the passage from antiquity into modernity; the dependence of collective memory upon living memory; the rising power of media to mold collective memory to present purposes; and historical understanding vis‐à‐vis evocation of collective memory as oppositional ways of accessing the past. I close with commentary that places Barash's philosophical interpretation within the context of contemporary historiographical practice, with particular attention to the scholarship of French historian Pierre Nora on the French national memory, and that of German scholars Jan and Aleida Assmann on the preservation and transmission of memorable cultural legacies.

The Cultural Contents as the Cultural Memory and Identity Presentation of City: the Case of Wrocław in Poland, the City of Dwarves

본 연구는 도시의 정체성을 상징하는 문화콘텐츠 생성 과정 탐색을 목적으로, 최근 ‘난쟁이 도시’라는 도시 브랜드를 갖게 된 폴란드 브로츠와프 사례를 연구한다. 1980년 대 후반 ‘오렌지대안운동’이라 불린 반공산주의 정신을 기념하는 표상물로서 난쟁이 모형의 동상 건립을 계기로 탄생된 브로츠와프 난쟁이도시 사례는 국가권력의 독재정치에 반기를 들었던 시민들의 합의된 공동기억이 난쟁이 조각상으로 구현되어 도시의 정체성을 대변하는 문화콘텐츠로 확장, 발전되는 과정을 보여준다. 최초의 브로츠와프 난쟁이 동상은 당시 공산정권의 부당성에 대항하여 평화혁명의 승리를 이끌어 낸 시민 주도의 오렌지대안운동을 기념하고 그를 영속화할 목적으로, 오렌지대안운동을 상징하는 난쟁이를 도시환경조성에 유용한 공공미술로 형태화하여 세워졌다. 여기에 시민들의 자발적인 의지와 동참에 힘입어 도시 전체로 확산된 난쟁이 조형물들은 현재 도시 관광자원으로까지 부상하고 있다. 결과적으로, 최초의 난쟁이 조각상인 파파난쟁이로 구현된 문화적 기억이 후기 매체로서의 신생난쟁이 조형물들을 창설함으로써 변화하는 세태와 공동체에 따라 그 사회적 의미와 기능이 변화하는 모습을 확인할 수 있다. 집단기억 재현매체의 거듭된 재생산이 도시문화콘텐츠로 발전한 결과, 관광 혹은 제3자에 대한 집단기억의 전이효과로 이어진다는 사실을 주목할 만하다. 본 연구는 관광객 유치를 통한 재원 조성 성과 달성에 급급한 나머지 도시 고유의 역사와 문화자원에 대한 고찰과 탐구를 간과한 채 도시의 정체성과 무관한 콘텐츠를 무차별적으로 양산해 내고 있는 국내 도시문화콘텐츠 분야에 유용한 시사점을 제공할 것으로 기대한다.This paper examines the formation process and factors of cultural contents that present the urban identity in the case of ‘the city of dwarves’, Wrocław in Poland, by visiting the city and reviewing literatures about community, public arts and cultural memory. In Wrocław, the first dwarf statue, inspired by the symbolic image of ‘Orange Alternative Movement’, was built in order to commemorate and eternalise the victory of the peaceful and performative movement of anti-Soviet resistance in 1980s. Subsequently, dwarf statues inspired by the initial dwarf statue have been broaden by citizen’s participation and hundreds of the new statues have been functioned as urban cultural contents capturing tourists’ interests and curiosity as well as the identity of the city and city’s image. The most interesting point here is that the new generations of dwarves reflecting the life of the citizens by local artists and merchants have been regarded as an entertainment factor by visitors, unlike the original dwarf statue, Papa Dwarf, in profound social and political meanings. In the research, we found that social meanings and functions have been changed by creating the reproduction of cultural memory in the context of new era and community. It is remarkable that urban cultural contents developed from the continued reproduction of media externalisation of collective memory result in improving tourism or transmission of collective memory. This research on the case of Wrocław can suggest valuable implications to the research in local cultural contents especially in South Korea that often neglects the intrinsic locality and urban identity because of focusing on attracting external funding and tourists.

Collective memories and present-day intergroup relations: Introduction to the Special Thematic Section

This special thematic section aims to bring together current research on the connections between collective memories – or representations of history – and present-day intergroup relations. Drawing from a multitude of geographical and historical contexts as well as different methodologies, we bring forth ten articles focusing on distinct aspects of the relations between representations of the past and present day intergroup dynamics. The topics covered in these articles focus on one or more of the four research lines identified within this field: 1) the antecedents of collective memories; 2) the contents and structure of collective memories; 3) the official or institutional transmission of collective memories; and 4) distinct socio-psychological correlates of collective memories in present-day societies. Together, the contributions in this special thematic section showcase current directions of research within the field and highlight the need to consider the role of representations of the past for understanding present day instances of intergroup conflict or harmony. We discuss the need for more interdisciplinary work in this field, as well as more applied research in the future.

Visual narrative and trauma recovery

Visual representations are powerful vehicles for the transmission of collective memory and the processing of traumatic events (Zelizer, 1998). But how do images create narrative, particularly in context of a traumatic past? This paper analyzes two visual narratives created by national truth commissions in Guatemala and Peru. Drawing from various theories of visual narrative and visual grammar, mainly Eisner (1985), McCloud (1993), Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006), and Cohn (2013), this paper analyzes how each project used visuals — photography and illustrations — to create the building blocks of narrative: characters, setting, and plot. It compares and contrasts the two projects in terms of how they depict the main actors in the conflicts, as well as the main events and the overall visual narrative structure. Finally, this paper discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of each medium as a post-traumatic tool.

Remembering Oradour-sur-Glane: Collective Memory in Translation

This article considers the impact of translation on the transmission of collective memory through a comparative study of the original French and translated English audio guides at the Centre de la Mémoire at Oradour-sur-Glane, a village whose inhabitants were massacred by the Waffen-SS in 1944. Framed by Landsberg's notion of ‘prosthetic memory’, it explores the capacity of translation to shape the affective and ethical response of the English audio guide user, thereby orienting the visitor along the Centre's route of remembrance in a manner which may converge with or deviate from the experience of the French visitor.

Situation administrative et économique dans les zones frontalières de l’Empire Ottoman

The article deals with the administrative and economic situation on the periphery of the Ottoman Empire, with a central focus on the functioning of state institutions, the impact of central power on the provinces, and the local conditions. The study is focused on historical text analysis and the reconstruction of the past. The analysis is based on primary sources from the 16th and 17th centuries, originating from the region of Eastern Anatolia, near Lake Van,) and written by Armenian chroniclers from the School of Bitlis, as well as others. Texts of chroniclers are invariably embedded in the social and historical context of that period and they provide a specific point of view of the Armenian religious minority living in the Ottoman Empire and Persia (millet-i Ermeni), characterized by dhimmi status, dhimmi mentality and its confessional identity (the Armenian Apostolic Church). Chronicle texts focus especially on the population of the Christian reaya (a subjected population) and their everyday lives. The socio-economic structures, which determine the everyday reality and, metaphorically, the way of thinking of the community, are studied as well as the importance of the Armenian Church (Hayastaneayts Arakhelakan Yekeghetsi), whose autonomy played a significant role in the construction of the Armenian nation and in the transmission of collective memory and traditions.

Generational Transmission of Collective Memory about Tiananmen in Hong Kong: how young rally participants learn about and understand 4 June

This article addresses the problem of generational transmission of collective memory in Hong Kong about the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. It focuses on the young participants in the annual 4 June commemoration rallies and examines the process of mnemonic socialization that brought them into the community of 4 June commemoration. Drawing upon a rally onsite survey and in-depth interviews, this study found that many young people went through a dynamic process of gradual discovery in which various social institutions—school, family and media—played complementary roles. Their understanding of Tiananmen tended to be simplified and essentialized. Yet the loss of details through essentialization has arguably allowed them to uphold a clear-cut moral judgment regarding the event and dismiss certain memory-blurring discourses straightforwardly.

Introduction: Transcultural Negotiations of Holocaust Memory

Introduction: Transcultural Negotiations of Holocaust Memory Stef Craps (bio) and Michael Rothberg (bio) During the 1980s, memory emerged as an urgent topic of debate in the humanities. By now, a great deal of research has been devoted to collective memory, a term developed by Maurice Halbwachs in the 1920s to denote collectively shared representations of the past,1 or cultural memory, a related concept coined by Jan Assmann in the 1980s that stresses the role of institutionalized canons of culture in the formation and transmission of collective memories.2 Early work in memory studies focused on the ways in which memories are shared within particular communities and constitute or reinforce group identity. Very often, most notably in Pierre Nora’s monumental Lieux de mémoire project, the nation-state has been taken as paradigmatic of such “mnemonic communities.”3 However, with the aid of mass cultural technologies, it has become increasingly possible for people to take on memories of events not “their own,” to which they have no familial, ethnic, or national tie. In recent years, therefore, the transnational and even global dissemination of memory has moved to the center of attention. Arguments about the transnationalization or globalization of memory typically reference the Holocaust, still the primary, archetypal topic in memory studies. In the second half of the 1990s, for example, Alvin Rosenfeld,4 Hilene Flanzbaum,5 and Peter Novick6 called attention to the so-called Americanization of the Holocaust. While reaching back at least as far as the theatrical and cinematic versions of the Anne Frank story in the 1950s, this process of Americanization began in earnest with the enormous success of the 1978 television miniseries Holocaust, a media event that influenced popular reception and memory of the Nazi genocide across national and identitarian boundaries.7 The transnational resonance of the Holocaust did not stop there, though. According to Daniel Levy and Natan Sznaider, the global spread of Holocaust discourse has generated a new form of memory: “cosmopolitan memory.”8 In their view, as in Jeffrey Alexander’s, the Holocaust has escaped its spatial and temporal particularism to emerge as [End Page 517] a common moral touchstone in the wake of the Cold War, and can thus provide the basis for an emergent universal human-rights regime.9 However, both Levy and Sznaider’s and Alexander’s studies display what Avishai Margalit has called “the danger of biased salience” accompanying the construction of a shared moral memory for humankind: because they are generally better remembered, the atrocities of Europe are perceived as morally more significant than atrocities elsewhere.10 A common critical response to the privileging of the Holocaust is to provide a counterclaim for the uniqueness or primacy of other histories of suffering. However, what Michael Rothberg has identified as the zero-sum logic structuring this debate—whereby remembering one thing must come at the cost of forgetting another—is historically problematic, as well as politically and ethically unproductive.11 Insisting on the distinctiveness and difference of one’s own history can indicate a kind of blindness, a refusal to recognize the larger historical processes of which that history is a part. As Hannah Arendt,12 Aimé Césaire,13 Paul Gilroy,14 A. Dirk Moses,15 and Dan Stone16 have argued, the Holocaust, slavery, and colonial domination are in fact interconnected, and by refusing to think them together (except in a competitive manner) we deprive ourselves of an opportunity to gain greater insight into each of these different strands of history and to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the dark underside of modernity. Moreover, claims for the uniqueness of the suffering of the particular victim group to which one belongs tend to deny the capacity for, or the effectiveness of, transcultural empathy. This is not to say, though, that a comparative approach to the study of Holocaust memory is intrinsically more correct or beneficial than a noncomparative one. As Andreas Huyssen17 and Miriam Hansen18 have pointed out, Holocaust comparisons may work as screen memories—meaning that the Holocaust is remembered in order to repress other instances of historical oppression that are closer to home—or simply block insight into specific local histories...