1. The Performance of Memory-- Commemorative Practices, Bodily Memory, Public Events and Public Memorials Professor: Jan Marontate

2. Last Day: “Time Maps” & the Social Shaping of Memory Discourses Questions of relevance Questions of relevance Long and short term Long and short term making connections making connections identifiying discontinuities identifiying discontinuities –Marking « starts » and « finishes » Celebration of Canadian citizenship

3. Origins, Collective Memory & Priority Claims Mnemonic “decapitation” (Zerubavel) Mnemonic “decapitation” (Zerubavel)

4. Mnemonic Communities & time Not just people Not just people Can be practices, things (like media), events Can be practices, things (like media), events Example of divergence model Example of divergence model

5. Shaping, Association,assimilation Periods, epochs as mnemonic transformation of historical continuum Periods, epochs as mnemonic transformation of historical continuum Separate groupings over same time (and sometimes same places) Separate groupings over same time (and sometimes same places)

6. Today 1. Film screening– part of Spike Lee’s When the levees broke 2. Discussion of ideas for projects 3. Short lecture ---Guest Speaker (cancelled) was Kelly Stewart, curator of a new exhibition at the New Westminster Museum and Archives on historic Chinese-Canadian communities Image of railway workers Image of railway workers Image of railway workers Image of railway workers

7. Finding Topics & Conducting Research for Short Reports Seek other information on the subject represented. Seek other information on the subject represented. –“facts”, opinions Critically analyze the “fit” between the depiction and documentation about the subject represented. Critically analyze the “fit” between the depiction and documentation about the subject represented. –What does the depiction include and what is left out? –Connections between current/past? –What factors may have influenced the representation? Be sure to discuss both the object of remembrance and the depiction of it in context. Be sure to discuss both the object of remembrance and the depiction of it in context.

8. “Site of Memory” & Social Frameworks of Memory? "where [cultural] memory crystallizes and secretes itself" (Nora 1989: 7) "where [cultural] memory crystallizes and secretes itself" (Nora 1989: 7) –Places –Concepts & practices –Objects Doorway of No Return. Gorée Island. Sénégal. House of Slaves

9. places archives, archives, museums, museums, cathedrals, cathedrals, palaces, palaces, cemeteries, and cemeteries, and memorials; memorials; memorials

10. concepts and practices commemorations, commemorations, generations, generations, Mottos Mottos rituals; rituals;

11. objects inherited property inherited property –mementos monuments monuments manuals, manuals, emblems, emblems, basic texts basic texts symbols. symbols.

12. Recall: Non-places, Silencing: Memories of Amish Schoolhouse Killings Memories of Amish Schoolhouse Killings –Site where children were killed children were killedchildren were killed –Destruction of Amish Schoolhouse Destruction of Amish SchoolhouseDestruction of Amish Schoolhouse Handouts: critics review new exhibitions Handouts: critics review new exhibitions –« Vancouver Flashback » (Street scenes from the recent past—)

13. How does the past shape the present & future? Schudson “Lives, Laws & Language. Commemorative vs. non-commemorative forms of effective public memory” Personally (lives, lived experience, oral history) Personally (lives, lived experience, oral history) Socially (laws, institutions, codes of ethics etc.) Socially (laws, institutions, codes of ethics etc.) Culturally (language, symbolic systems) Culturally (language, symbolic systems)

14. The “person” as a carrier of public memory 1. Manifestations: personal “careers” and life histories as devices for accessing & tracking changes 1. Manifestations: personal “careers” and life histories as devices for accessing & tracking changes Processes: Processes: –Prompting as context –Disappearance of older generations –familiarity of new generations with new “paradigms” rather than “conversion” –Commitments to old paradigms vs. revisionism

15. Lessons “Learned” & Observing change in Collective memory personal experience as guide (avoidance) personal experience as guide (avoidance) Example: Change in “language” has potential to alter meaning Example: Change in “language” has potential to alter meaning Observation of shifts in collective representations through changes in language Observation of shifts in collective representations through changes in language Importance of temporal, spatial, group affiliations of individual testimonies as contexts Importance of temporal, spatial, group affiliations of individual testimonies as contexts

17. “Dynamics” of Collective memory (Schudson) Pre-emptive Metaphors & Devices (avoidance technique), ex. Trauma designations like holocaust, genocide Pre-emptive Metaphors & Devices (avoidance technique), ex. Trauma designations like holocaust, genocide Demonstration effects (interaction of personal experience & experience of others) Demonstration effects (interaction of personal experience & experience of others) –Ex. Nazis & anti-racism Accidents as models for risk avoidance (ex. tsunami victims) Accidents as models for risk avoidance (ex. tsunami victims) Coordinative, conjunctive & serial effects– (ex. the right to vote & working class white men in different places) Coordinative, conjunctive & serial effects– (ex. the right to vote & working class white men in different places) Cultures of memory (diverse) (ex. Different uses of collective identity in different national contexts, ex. Post WWII fascist countries, attitudes towards elders as carriers of public memory, etc….) Cultures of memory (diverse) (ex. Different uses of collective identity in different national contexts, ex. Post WWII fascist countries, attitudes towards elders as carriers of public memory, etc….)

18. “ Cultures” of collective memory (Olick) Different ontological orders, different epistemological & methodological implications Different ontological orders, different epistemological & methodological implications Collective memory as Collective memory as –Aggregated individual recollections? –Official commemorations (or silencing)? –Constitutive features of shared identity?

19. “Collected” Memory based on individualistic principles (aggregated individual memories of members of a croup) based on individualistic principles (aggregated individual memories of members of a croup) Assume: only individuals remembers Assume: only individuals remembers Different rememberers may be valued differently Different rememberers may be valued differently Publicly available symbols Publicly available symbols Methods: assign same values to all rememberers OR redistributively (ex. To include previously disenfranchised) Methods: assign same values to all rememberers OR redistributively (ex. To include previously disenfranchised)

20. Advantages of Individualist approaches (“Collected” Memory) Potential to reduce political bias embedded in existing representations of collective memory by recognizing many different kinds of collective memory in different places in society Potential to reduce political bias embedded in existing representations of collective memory by recognizing many different kinds of collective memory in different places in society

21. Posture of Neutrality? Should we Should we –assume a collective memory or identity exists? –assume a collectivity exists that shares a memory? –Consider ideology, will? –ex. Survey of Germans about their identity & effects on politics –Ex. I am Canadian beer commercial I am Canadian beer commercialI am Canadian beer commercial A screen capture of Joe Canadian from an I am Canadian commercial, with the maple leaf of the Canadian flag projected on the background maple leaf Canadian flag

22. Collective Memory (vs. collected) Patterns of socialization not reducible to individual psycho-social processes? Patterns of socialization not reducible to individual psycho-social processes? groups provide conditions and distinctions through which particular events are defined as consequential groups provide conditions and distinctions through which particular events are defined as consequential Symbols, institutions, technologies etc. considered somewhat “autonomous” Symbols, institutions, technologies etc. considered somewhat “autonomous” Memory performed through language, narrative, dialogue, genres, …shared practices Memory performed through language, narrative, dialogue, genres, …shared practices Collective memory AS communication Collective memory AS communication

23. Social Museum of Harvard Exhibition Review and Cultural Heritage Institutions as Contexts Workers in Pittsburgh, photographed by Lewis Hine, on view in “Classified Documents,” at Harvard. Importance of contextualizing images Importance of contextualizing images Handout « Categorized, Compared & Displayed: Social Ills as Museum Specimens Handout « Categorized, Compared & Displayed: Social Ills as Museum Specimens