History, Memory, and State-Sponsored Violence

by Berber Bevernage

Modern historiography embraces the notion that time is irreversible, implying that the past should be imagined as something ‘absent’ or ‘distant.’ Victims of historical injustice, however, in contrast, often claim that the past got ‘stuck’ in the present and that it retains a haunting presence. History, Memory, and State-Sponsored Violence is centered around the provocative thesis that the way one deals with historical injustice and the ethics of history is strongly dependent on the way one conceives of historical time; that the concept of time traditionally used by historians is structurally more compatible with the perpetrators’ than the victims’ point of view. Demonstrating that the claim of victims about the continuing presence of the past should be taken seriously, instead of being treated as merely metaphorical, Berber Bevernage argues that a genuine understanding of the ‘irrevocable’ past demands a radical break with modern historical discourse and the concept of time. By embedding a profound philosophical reflection on the themes of historical time and historical discourse in a concrete series of case studies, this project transcends the traditional divide between ‘empirical’ historiography on the one hand and the so called ‘theoretical’ approaches to history on the other. It also breaks with the conventional ‘analytical’ philosophy of history that has been dominant during the last decades, raising a series of long-neglected ‘big questions’ about the historical condition – questions about historical time, the unity of history, and the ontological status of present and past –programmatically pleading for a new historical ethics.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy

262 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2011

About the author

Berber Bevernage is Assistant Professor of philosophy and theory of history in the Department of History at Ghent University.

Much of his current research focuses on the uses of history and memory after violent conflict, dictatorship or cases of historical injustice. He is especially interested in the politics of time and history that are often at play in societies emerging from these types of situations and which are trying to break with painful or shameful pasts. A related research interest is that in the increasing confluence of the practices of historiography and jurisdiction, which, for example, manifests itself in the growing international preoccupation with historical justice, the establishment of truth commissions and historical commissions, the engagement in reparation politics and the issues of so-called “memory laws” in several countries around the world.

Berber has published in journals such as History and Theory, Memory Studies, Social History and History Workshop Journal. His book History, Memory, and State-Sponsored Violence: Time and Justice was published by Routledge in 2012. Together with Chris Lorenz he has edited a volume titled Breaking Up Time: Negotiating the Borders between Present and Future, which was published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht in 2013.

Berber is (co-)founder of the interdisciplinary research forum TAPAS / Thinking About the PASt, which focuses on popular, academic and artistic dealings with the past in a large variety of cultural and social areas. Together with colleagues he in 2012 established the International Network for Theory of History, which aims to foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas among theorists of history around the world.

Reviews

[Bookshark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full copy is available for free on his academia.edu page: https://www.academia.edu/3589492/Hist...

This book combines incredibly rich and profound theoretical insight with equally attentive and nuanced consideration of empirical cases. On the one hand, Bevernage discusses the ideas of Nietzsche, Benjamin, Jankélévitch, de Man, Habermas, Charles Taylor, Althusser, Derrida and others with the deftness of a philosopher; on the other hand, he employs rigorous qualitative analysis to illuminate the cases of Argentina, South Africa, and Sierra Leone. So few books manage to do both, making this book a standout achievement.

If you are at all interested in the interaction between history, memory, time, and justice - read this book. Granted, it may be difficult to read if you are not used to reading philosophy, but even if you don't get all of the theory, the introduction, conclusions, and case studies are still worth your time.