Cultural Memory and Early Civilization

Abstract

Now available to an English-speaking audience, this book presents a groundbreaking theoretical analysis of memory, identity and culture. It investigates how cultures remember, arguing that human memory exists and is communicated in two ways, namely inter-human interaction and in external systems of notation, such as writing, which can span generations. Dr Assmann defines two theoretical concepts of cultural memory, differentiating between the long-term memory of societies, which can span up to 3,000 years, and communicative memory, which is typically restricted to 80 to 100 years. He applies this theoretical framework to case studies of four specific cultures, illustrating the function contexts and specific achievements, including the state, international law, religion and science. Ultimately, his research demonstrates that memory is not simply a means of retaining information, but rather a force that can shape cultural identity and allow cultures to respond creatively to both daily challenges and catastrophic changes.

National Narratives and the Invention of Ethnic Identities: Revisiting Cultural Memory and the Decolonized State in Morocco

“…Unlike other forms of memory (i.e. social, cultural), political memory is always learned (Assmann, 2006) and has a more prescriptive and compelling nature precisely because it enhances the shaping of political identities and not mere cultural or social ones (Assmann, 2011).…”

Participatory Mapping of Local Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge: An Example from Switzerland

“…These strategies for local resource use necessitate very detailed knowledge about environmental conditions, including awareness about linkages between certain weather conditions during particular times in the year in certain localities and the occurrence of specific natural hazards, such as avalanches or mudslides. The fact that potentially dangerous areas generally carry a name related to a particular hazard event that happened there in the past demonstrates the important role played by an iconic cultural memory (Assmann 2011) in the context of disaster mitigation strategies. A further example of the differentiated environmental knowledge of the valley's small-scale, topographically structured landscape is that particular, often small localities (from mountain peaks to individual plots) have their own local names (flurnamen).…”

Passing on Dance: practices of translating the choreographies of Pina Bausch

“…from one generation to another -may occur with the help of oral narratives, in written ways (reports, autobiographies, documentations, scientific work) or via images (video, photography or film). Visual and written materials that document and store knowledge have special relevance, when it comes to practices of passing something on across generations and cultures and thus to a translation from the "communicative memory" of an oral narrative culture to a "cultural memory" meant to last (Assmann, A., 2012;2013;Assmann, J., 2013).…”