The Collective Memory Reader

by Jeffrey K. Olick (Editor), Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi (Editor), Daniel Levy (Editor)

In the last few decades, there are few concepts that have rivaled "collective memory" for attention in the humanities and social sciences. Indeed, use of the term has extended far beyond scholarship to the realm of politics and journalism, where it has appeared in speeches at the centers of power and on the front pages of the world's leading newspapers. Seen by scholars in numerous fields as a hallmark characteristic of our age, an idea crucial for understanding our present social, political, and cultural conditions, collective memory now guides inquiries into diverse, though connected, phenomena. Nevertheless, there remains a great deal of confusion about the meaning, origin, and implication of the term and the field of inquiry it underwrites.

The Collective Memory Reader presents, organizes, and evaluates past work and contemporary contributions on collective memory. Combining seminal texts, hard-to-find classics, previously untranslated references, and contemporary landmarks, it will serve as a key reference in the field. In addition to a thorough introduction, which outlines a useful past for contemporary memory studies, The Collective Memory Reader includes five sections-Precursors and Classics; History, Memory, and Identity; Power, Politics, and Contestation; Media and Modes of Transmission; Memory, Justice, and the Contemporary Epoch-comprising ninety-one texts. A short editorial essay introduces each of the sections, while brief capsules frame each of the selected texts.

An indispensable guide, The Collective Memory Reader is at once a definitive entry point into the field for students and an essential resource for scholars.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Research, Essays

497 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2011

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and comprehensive introduction to memory studies. The book begins with an excellent summary of the various disciplines involved sociological, psychological, historical, anthropological and philosophical involved in memory studies along with the key texts and authors. This then leads to well chosen essays that display the variety of ways scholars have approached memory.

[Rachel Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

The intro essay was quite useful but don't be fooled by how short the rest of the essays are. They're a nightmare of topsy turvy french (and other) philosophy. I can't help but think of Chidi from The Good Place and how everyone hates [memory studies] philosophers. I'm sure some essays are better than others but altogether not the thrilling memory read I would have wanted. Obviously my expectations were way too high for a collection of essays.

[Aslihan · Rating 1 out of 5]

When you get a book that claims to have the prominent readings of a field, such as a "reader" or a "handbook" of some sort, you expect to find a collection that is representative of the field, that presents a conceptual concentration that will help you get acquainted. Most of the Oxford handbooks are quite useful to that end. However, this one beyond useful and it's waste of time. The collection is basically excerpts from previously written works, most of them tangentially related to collective memory, only some of them directly written on that topic. The subsections are kind of haphazard, very general and not particularly referring to the components of collective memory studies. Last, the excerpts chosen are so short that you basically get a glimpse of the connection of collective memory, but some of these texts are actually written totally different topics. Overall, disappointment. Do your own research and don't rely on somebody else's literature review, which this clearly is that, not a proper collection.

[Lucy Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

exploring all the caveats and considerations of studying memory in social and academic settings is a tall order that I think this book has done well. The chapter on Maurice Halbwach, especially, was insightful into how collective memory is also a tool to critique history.

[Miley Suteerawut]

nice

[Daniel Hesp · Rating 3 out of 5]

thought provoking

[Avery Michelle Witter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thought provoking. A lot of easy reads and some that require more to understand but overall a good book for the brain

[jose coimbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olick, J., Vinitzky-Seroussi, V., & Levy, D. (2011). Introduction. In The Collective Memory Reader (pp. 3–62). New York: Oxford University Press.

O livro The Collective Memory Reader é composto de uma introdução e de uma grande variedade de extratos de textos dos mais diversos autores de diferentes campos de saber.

Na introdução, os organizadores apresentam as linhas gerais de suas posições quanto ao que seja o campo de estudos da ‘memória social’, sua importância e as dificuldades que se podem vislumbrar ali. Nessa parte desenham-se justificativas para as escolhas feitas quanto aos extratos que compõem o livro.

É desse modo que somos rapidamente advertidos de que a dimensão social da memória não é um tópico novo. Ela seria patente, por exemplo, no imperativo Zakhor! (Recorda-te!) presente no discurso de Moisés ao povo judeu no deserto, em seu êxodo do Egito à Terra Prometida, conforme Deuteronômio 32:7.

Desde 1970, segundo os autores, vive-se um boom da memória e de seus estudos. Essa data marcaria não apenas o declínio das narrativas modernistas do pós-guerra relativas ao progresso, mas também o limite de expansão do estado de bem-estar social. A convergência desses dois aspectos levaria a um novo olhar sobre a concepção de estado-nação e, por conseguinte, a uma reavaliação dos passados nacionais a fim de se conseguir amparo para sua legitimidade.

É com base nesse quadro que se pode encontrar sinais do avanço de estudos, testemunhos e narrativas que tocam a memória nos seus mais variados aspectos: do mal de Alzheimer ao trauma, do passado de opressões à vitimização. O número de publicações é crescente e na mesma proporção encontram-se críticas ao que se poderia denominar de ‘indústria da memória’.

Dada a extensão de temas cobertos pelos Memory Studies, Olick, Vinitzky-Seroussi e Levy explicitam desde o primeiro momento o entendimento quanto à necessidade de defini-lo como um campo coerente de investigações. É exatamente como um passo nesse esforço que eles situam o livro para o qual selecionaram os textos e redigiram a introdução. Trata-se de projeto no qual reconhecem que a noção de ‘memória coletiva’ seria uma referência-chave. Os autores sublinham em diferentes momentos do texto que a ideia de ‘memória coletiva’ aparece antes de 1920, ressurgindo com maior frequência a partir de 1980. Eles ressaltam que Halbwachs não teria sido o único intelectual cujos escritos contribuíram para a emergência do campo dos Memory Studies.

Trata-se de livro que contribui para o mapeamento do campo da memória social, permitindo uma excelente introdução a ele.

[Bets · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of very readable essays for anyone interested in the cultural dimensions of memory... I found the dialogues between philosophers so fascinating that I read them all in one weekend.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of articles dealing with the theme of collective memory.