Processes & Social Forms Processes & Social Forms of Remembering & Shaping of Remembering & Shaping MemoriesMemoriesCollective Memory Collective Memory and Public and Public DiscourseDiscourseSchool of School of Communication, SFU, Communication, SFU, Spring 2007Spring 2007

Professor: Professor: Jan MarontateJan Marontate

African Drum Workshop, Healing Weekend, Black Loyalist Heritage Site, Nova Scotia, 2006

Recall: Course AdministrationRecall: Course Administration Handout # 1Handout # 1: Syllabus, Grading, Schedule: Syllabus, Grading, Schedule Course WebsiteCourse Website Handout #2Handout #2: Partial List of Readings for : Partial List of Readings for

Weeks 1-4Weeks 1-4

Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931

Last Day: Core concepts in Last Day: Core concepts in Studies of Collective MemoryStudies of Collective Memory

Focus onFocus on– History of scholarly work on “collective memory” History of scholarly work on “collective memory”

and origins of early interestsand origins of early interests– Terminology & related issuesTerminology & related issues– Early Interest in Collective Memory: Social Construction of Early Interest in Collective Memory: Social Construction of

’Knowledge’ & Individual/Society’Knowledge’ & Individual/Society

– Memory as a “social fact” & the social frameworks Memory as a “social fact” & the social frameworks of memoryof memory

What constitutes a “Site of What constitutes a “Site of Memory”?Memory”?

"where [cultural] memory crystallizes and "where [cultural] memory crystallizes and secretes itself" (Nora 1989: 7)secretes itself" (Nora 1989: 7)

placesplaces

archives, archives, museums, museums, cathedrals, cathedrals, palaces, palaces, cemeteries, and cemeteries, and memorialsmemorials; ;

concepts and practicesconcepts and practices

commemorations, commemorations, generations, generations, MottosMottos rituals; rituals;

objectsobjects

inherited propertyinherited property– mementos mementos

monuments monuments manuals,manuals, emblems,emblems, basic textsbasic texts symbols.symbols.

Non-places, Silencing: Non-places, Silencing: Memories of Amish Memories of Amish Schoolhouse KillingsSchoolhouse Killings Site where Site where childrenchildren werewere killedkilled Destruction Destruction ofof AmishAmish SchoolhouseSchoolhouse

Innovations as Rejection of Innovations as Rejection of Memories of the Past or Memories of the Past or revivals?revivals?– Invention of new Invention of new

ceremoniesceremonies

– new “fashions” new “fashions” (today could it be (today could it be rejection of the rejection of the burka?)burka?)

Typology of Memory Claims Typology of Memory Claims (Connerton)(Connerton)

1-Personal Memory1-Personal Memory– Sources: Connections with individual’s life historySources: Connections with individual’s life history

2-Cognitive memory2-Cognitive memory– Not necessary about the past but enabled by Not necessary about the past but enabled by

something we have learned to help us decipher something we have learned to help us decipher past, present & futurepast, present & future

3-Habit Memory3-Habit Memory– Performative but not necessarily grounded in Performative but not necessarily grounded in

specifiv memoriesspecifiv memories

Discussion of Last week’s Film Discussion of Last week’s Film ScreeningScreening

Rabbit-Proof FenceRabbit-Proof Fence– Fact-based storyFact-based story

Personal Memories?Personal Memories? Collective Memories?Collective Memories?

Today: Processes & FormsToday: Processes & Forms

Historical notionsHistorical notions– memory as “positive”memory as “positive”– way of preserving way of preserving

knowledge & skillknowledge & skill ways of lifeways of life

– sense of identitysense of identity Assumptions about mnemonic tracesAssumptions about mnemonic traces

– Cognitive vs. unconscious processesCognitive vs. unconscious processes– Time Maps as ways of making connections Time Maps as ways of making connections

(Zerubavel)(Zerubavel)

““Time Maps” & the Social Time Maps” & the Social Shaping of Memory DiscoursesShaping of Memory Discourses

Questions of relevanceQuestions of relevance Long and short term (Annales School notion Long and short term (Annales School notion

of longue durof longue durée)ée) Making connectionsMaking connections Delimiting discontinuitiesDelimiting discontinuities

Example: Plotlines & Narrative Example: Plotlines & Narrative Forms Forms

Progress narrativesProgress narratives

Decline narrativesDecline narratives(examples from Zerubavel (examples from Zerubavel Time MapsTime Maps))

Historical “Phrasing” in Historical “Phrasing” in NarrativesNarratives

Legato (connected)Legato (connected) Staccato (breaks)Staccato (breaks)

““Triggers”, memory retrieval (types of Triggers”, memory retrieval (types of Mnemonic devices)Mnemonic devices)

– Words, facts, skills, eventsWords, facts, skills, events

– Ideals, goals, intentions, Ideals, goals, intentions, promisespromises

– Feelings, states-of-mind, earlier Feelings, states-of-mind, earlier selves etc…selves etc…

– Things, odours, ex. Madeleine Things, odours, ex. Madeleine (Proust, (Proust, Remembrance of things Remembrance of things pastpast, triggered by smell and taste , triggered by smell and taste of Madeleines, a style of French of Madeleines, a style of French cupcakecupcake))

Varieties of Personal MemoryVarieties of Personal Memory

What do we become aware of when we What do we become aware of when we remember and how do we do it? remember and how do we do it? (David Gross (David Gross Lost Lost TimeTime, 2000), 2000)– Semantic memory (words)Semantic memory (words)– Propositional memories (kinds of Info.)Propositional memories (kinds of Info.)– Implicit memories (ex. How to play an instrument)Implicit memories (ex. How to play an instrument)– Episodic memory (beginning & end, aura)Episodic memory (beginning & end, aura)– Other kinds Other kinds

Projects (Odysseus and faithfulness to project of returning home)Projects (Odysseus and faithfulness to project of returning home) Revisionist (confessions)Revisionist (confessions) Happy/sad episodes, feelings & emotions (ex. Proust)Happy/sad episodes, feelings & emotions (ex. Proust)

– Amnesia (deliberate, unconscious etc..)Amnesia (deliberate, unconscious etc..)

Biography (Personal & Collective Biography (Personal & Collective Dimensions)Dimensions)

Biography & Autobiography as Biography & Autobiography as ways of creating relationshipsways of creating relationships– Discursive process that shapes Discursive process that shapes

memoriesmemories Example: Example: Rabbit-proof fenceRabbit-proof fence

– Fact-based filmFact-based film

– Historical reconstructionsHistorical reconstructions

– Personal?Personal?

– experiences of group(s) of people experiences of group(s) of people (mnemonic communities)?(mnemonic communities)?

- other perspectives?- other perspectives?

Ways of mapping personal to Ways of mapping personal to collective memoriescollective memories

Family, ancestry & Family, ancestry & descent descent

Dynasty Dynasty – Not always based on Not always based on

consanguinityconsanguinity as as historical contact historical contact

chains chains as as continuous continuous

structuresstructures

InterconnectednessInterconnectedness

Genealogical Distance (consanguinity)Genealogical Distance (consanguinity) Ancestral depth (# of generations)Ancestral depth (# of generations)

Ancestral DepthAncestral Depth

Tracing “Families” over timeTracing “Families” over time

Not just peopleNot just people Can be practices, Can be practices,

things, eventsthings, events

Monogenist & Polygenist Monogenist & Polygenist Models of Human DescentModels of Human Descent

Direct ancestorsDirect ancestors Socio-mnemonic Socio-mnemonic

dimensions of ancestrydimensions of ancestry

PhylogenyPhylogeny

DDivergence Modellingivergence Modelling

Mnemonic CuttingMnemonic Cutting Conceptualizing Discontinuities (breaks) Conceptualizing Discontinuities (breaks)

Association/assimilationAssociation/assimilation Periods, epochs as mnemonic transformation of Periods, epochs as mnemonic transformation of

historical continuumhistorical continuum

History & Prehistory in History & Prehistory in Mnemonic TraditionsMnemonic Traditions Example: Pre-contact and Post contact history of Example: Pre-contact and Post contact history of

N. AmericanN. American

Discussion of Fieldwork: Discussion of Fieldwork: ideas ideas for term work byfor term work by–1-Viewing one of each1-Viewing one of each

a a documentary filmdocumentary film a « fact-based » fictionalized film a « fact-based » fictionalized film MMust be ust be aboutabout past events (can be very recent past) or the past events (can be very recent past) or the

history of a group, a place etc….something that history of a group, a place etc….something that involves involves sharing memoriessharing memories

–2-Doing « fieldwork ». Visiting an historic 2-Doing « fieldwork ». Visiting an historic site, reconstruction or public monument or site, reconstruction or public monument or building building that is intended to commemorate or express that is intended to commemorate or express memories of a group or eventmemories of a group or event..

Vilm Clip Screening: Vilm Clip Screening: The The Return of Martin GuerreReturn of Martin Guerre

Personal story of impersonation?Personal story of impersonation? Framing collective memories of the past?Framing collective memories of the past?