Transcript How Societies Remember

How Societies Remember
Presented by
Sharon Kalman, Sacha Page and
Jennifer Stevenson
About the Author
“How Societies Remember”
by Paul Connerton published
1989.
Dr Paul Connerton, a
sociologist, teaches in the
department of Social
Anthropology at Cambridge
University.
Fellow of the Institute of
Romance Studies at London
College
Social Memory – Terminology
Recollection
Historical Reconstruction
Social Memory
Personal Memory
Cognitive Memory
Performative Actions
Habit Memory
Forgetting
Social Persistence
Social Memory
Using Halbwachs as a starting
point he asserts that memory is a
socially constructed phenomena.
Counters notions of memory that
are purely psychological or purely
constructed by social narrative.
Instead argues that memory is
embodied in social practice.
“Habit Memory” is primarily
expressed in actual body or
physical movements of people and
in ritual performance.
Social Memory (continued)
Social memory causes an inertia
in social structures.
An important part of
understanding social structures
and identity is an examination of
habit, bodily practices and ritual.
People create notions of
themselves as they relate to their
world and others in their society
These interactions are at the
base of identity creation and
maintenance.
Connerton’s Intellectual
Antecedents
Maurice Halbwachs “La Memoire
Collective”
Z. Bauman “Memories of Class”
P. Nora “Les lieux de la memoire”
D. Lowenthal “The Past is a foreign
country”
“How Societies Remember”
It’s Reception
Very well received, not only in Memory Studies
but also in the broad disciplinary fields of
history, sociology and anthropology.
His interpretations of social memory used in
many interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
studies .
Main criticisms are that his theory portrays
social structures as too static and inert. Also his
claim that his perspective is a “new” way to
understand social memory, is not quite accurate
because many anthropologists studied “bodily
practices”.
Commemorative Ceremonies
Ritual
Ritual
Rule-governed activity
of a symbolic character
which draws the
attention of its
participants to objects
of thought and feeling
which they hold to be of
special significance.
Defined by Steven Lukes
and adhered to by Connerton
Ritual
1.
The prescribed order of a
religious ceremony
American Heritage Dictionary
2.
The prescribed form of
conducting a formal secular
ceremony
American Heritage Dictionary
3.
Any act or practice regularly
repeated in a set precise
manner for relief of anxiety
Merriam-Webster medical dictionary
Ritual (continued)
Rites
Hitler Youth march
Christian Confirmation
Formalized acts that
tend to be stylized,
stereotyped, and
repetitive. They are not
spontaneous and are
deliberately observed to
denote feelings.
(Dictionary definition: A
ceremonial act
established by law or
custom)
Religion
Jesus
Abraham
Mosque
History=identity=
continuity=commemoration
Passover Seder
Pilgrimage to Mecca
The Crucifixion (el Greco)
Modern Invented Rites
Olympic Opening Ceremonies
Bastille Day
Jubilee Day
Calendrical
Chinese New Year
Jewish New Year
New Year’s Eve: Times Square
Verbal
Hebrew
Latin`
Sanskrit
Arabic
Gestural
Bodily Practices
Incorporating Practices
Information is
taken from the
action and
interpreted based
on various factors
such as culture,
religion or race.
Living models help
us learn these
practices and the
meaning is just
understood but
never directly
discussed.
Inscribing Practices
Ways to provide information even after
the informing system has stopped
providing information.
These must be taught in steps and
explained in order to be understood
but once they are understood they are
with us forever.
An example of this is learning the
alphabet.
What type of practice do you think this
is? When do we shake hands?
What type of practice is
this?
The overlap between
practices
There is an overlap
between
incorporating
practices and
inscribing
practices.
Connerton claims
that although the
overlap exists
there will always
be a dominating
factor.
Gestures can also be
Referential which means that it refers
to means of a sign. (cultural)
Notational which means that it
provides support for the content of
the conversation. (transcends culture)
More signs. What do each of these mean
? how did you learn their meanings?
Lessons Learned
Words, images & bodily practices help us
preserve the past.
We are writing in an alphabet that is
centuries old.
We view artifacts that are centuries old.
We are performing simple actions that have
been done for centuries.
Everything we do connects us to the past
whether we realize it or not.