INDG 401 Lecture 7: LECTURE 7, POLITICAL POWER AND MEMORY
9 Jun 2018
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LECTURE 7, POLITICAL POWER AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY
To what extent can states instill “official” collective memories in citizens?
- the Myth-Symbol complex
- official vs vernacular memory
- nations as imagined communities
- power over symbols
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THE MYTH SYMBOL COMPLEX is the 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.
(I.e Canadians are polite, Canada is multicultural)
OFFICIAL VS VERNACULAR MEMORY
definition on slide
official memory is what Lebow mentions as institutional memory
gets put forward by political elite, those in position of political power
memory gets put forward by the state
u want to find a myth symbol complex, and official identity that binds people together
vernacular memory originates from below, sometimes it matches the state’s official memory and
sometimes it doesn’t
not so much cohesive compared to official memory
WHO WON THE WAR OF 1812
official US memory says British were bad guys and US won the war.
vernacular memory “the 8th of January” about the battle of New Orleans: presents a positive
image of the US
themes in the song: American forces were very very good at what they did, national pride,
defending the homeland
official Canadian memory: Canada doesn’t come up in the us official history, US invaded, it’s all
about the attempt to conquer Canada, Canada is the winner
official British memory: it’s left out, the war is left out, sometimes it’s more important to notice
what’s missing
who gets to decide what the content of official memory is? who’s left out?
the space is limited, u have to make choices
some places are more important than other places
us, member of a collective, we remember things that happened long before we were born, it’s
national solidarity
various rituals of commemoration maintain official memory
constructivism: nations as modern, socially constructed, imagined communities
it can change over time
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
