WEEK 2-4 Flashcards
Art of Memory
Association between objects and memory.
The art of memory is a set of mnemonic principles that assist in organizing memories and impressions.
Consider: house of memory, museums (spatial order and memory).
Durkheim Perspective
Collective consciousness is critical in tying together society (law is not enough). There needs to be reinforcement of continuity from the past.
Significance: prompted the development of collective memory. He was significant in identifying the criticality of the past.
Collective Effervescence
Introduced by Durkheim.
Means to have an emotional / harmonious sense in rituals. so, rituals are emotionally charged and deepen social bonds.
- a feeling when you engage in a shared purpose / collective feeling!
He alludes to the importance of religious symbols as well (especially in context of the french)
mechanical v. organic solidarity
mechanical (pre-modern) = groupness based on similarities.
organic (modern) = typical / possible in modern societies with a distinct division of labour.
Collective Memory
Maurice Halbwachs
- A shared recollection of past events that shape a community’s identity, values and cohesion.
The role of collective memory is particularly significant in modern society due to its impact on public spaces, monuments, museums, and broader cultural and political processes.
Myth-Symbol Complex
combination of myths, memories, values and symbols that define not only who is a member of the group but what it means to be a member.
refers to shared myths and symbols that are the foundation of a group’s sense of belonging in historical continuity !!!!
EX: Canada, multiculutralism, maple leaf
Significance: linking the past to the present via myth-symbol complex creates a shared narrative that legitimizes current social or political structures. also assist in understanding national identities.
Mnemonic Communities
mnemonic communities to help ppl socialze to understand what should be remembered and forgotten and ensure ‘new members attain a required social identity and particular cognitive bias’
important - collective rituals, storytelling, informal networks of remembrance allow communities to assert agencies in shaping their own memory landscapes.
NOTE - this can be used in connection with KUBIK, who suggests that there are different mnemonic actors (warrirors, pluralists, abnegators, prospectives) who all interact in different ways to create different mnemonic regimes .
Official v. Vernacular Memory
Official = TOP DOWN, vision of collective memory that political elites are interested in promoting - what do they want citizens to think?
Vernacular = collective memories that originate from below.
EX: War of 1812. Canada, Britain and the USA all have unique official and vernacular memories on it, and as a result, different mnemonic communities.
Imagined Communities
Way of connecting a community that dont all totally know each other. You are part of a community with lots of ppl you have never met.
States can construct their nation by fostering a shared identity.
involves using MYTHS and SYMBOLS and CULTURAL NARRATIVES to create sense of community and belonging.
Symbolic Capital
A society’s medium of honor, prestige and status. Groups and individuals compete for symbolic capital to achieve or maintain power and legitimacy
Symbols like monuments, rituals etc are the material manifestations of symbolic capital
consider symbolic capital in the case of POST-SOVIET countries
aspects of power over symbols…
4 aspects
1. Power over content
2. Power over place
3. Power over commemorative viligance
4. power over reception
Pierre Nora
Lieux de memoire (NOTE connect to post-soviet union countries and what Forrest-Johnson were saying).
National Identity Rituals
pledging allegiance in class. states want a national identity - so create a collective memory.
EXAMPLE: virginia and textbooks
Rituals of commemoration
If they are effective, they make people feel as if they are actually there.
This is how social memory is created and maintained.
include: flag raising, creating a sense of beign a part from everyday life.
EFFERVESENCE
Shared Emotional Energy: Effervescence emerges when group members collectively engage in symbolic activities, such as a flag-raising ceremony, generating a sense of unity and belonging.
Sacredness and Meaning: The emotional intensity of these rituals transforms ordinary objects (like a flag) into sacred symbols. By treating these objects with reverence, participants reaffirm the importance of the group and its shared identity.
Distinct from Everyday Life: These rituals create an atmosphere distinct from the mundane, imbuing the experience with a sense of significance and attaching deeper meaning to the group’s existence and values.
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
Black scar. Had to commeorate a divided event, attempted to make the memorial about the lives lost NOT the war itself.
- did that by listing the names and not creating glorified images of war.
Got significant controversy especially from veterns.
