Editors’ Introduction

Arien Mack and William Hirst Editors’ Introduction SINCE MAURICE HALBW ACHS FIRST W ROTE ABOUT THE PH E N O M EN O N , the study of collective m em ory has played a critical role in discus­ sions o f collective and, in particular, national identity. Students of collective m em ory have chiefly been interested in the m em ory practices a com m unity undertakes to m aintain publicly available symbols o f th e past, w ith m em orials and com m em orations, along w ith th e practices of the m edia, art, education, and other cultural and political institutions. Each o f these serves as principal m eans through w hich a com m unity shapes and preserves its past. The large increase in w ork in this area during the past few years led us to th in k this m ight be th e right tim e to take stock of w here the field currently stands and assem ble into a single volum e essays by som e o f the forem ost scholars and researchers in the area of collective memory. The topic is particularly suited for Social Research, given its interdisciplinary character: Almost all the social sciences address im portant aspects o f collective memory. However, let us m ake clear th at this special issue is not m eant to survey the vast literatu re on the form ation and m aintenance of collective m em ories and th e influence th at collective m em ory has on collec­ tive identity. Rather, we w ant to highlight the m ost recent w ork on this broad topic. We hope we have succeeded in providing a set of papers th at give the reader a sense o f the current state o f th e thinking about collective m em ory and identity. Editor’s Introduction xi Part I What Does It Mean for a Community to Have a Memory? ...