Whose memory and why: A commentary on power and the construction of memory

Abstract

This document is the author's final accepted version of the journal article. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. Whose memory and Why: A commentary on power and the construction of memory. Sandra Obradović Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science London School of Economics and Political Psychology IntroductionWithin memory studies there has been a gradual move away from the dichotomous divide between individual and collective memory, with work emerging arguing for the importance of acknowledging the interrelations between self and other in processes of remembering. This strand of research, captured within this special issue, conceptualizes remembering as an active process of construction, influenced by the context in which it takes place. Much of this work builds on the ground breaking work by Bartlett in the early 20 th century (Wagoner, this issue), but also as a reaction to literature that continues to separate the cognition of individuals from the socio-cultural setting in which it occurs.

Collective memory and social sciences in the post-truth era

“…Encouraging theoretical construction does not mean, however, that we should overlook empirical studies. Doing so would make us blind to the reality we seek to explain, and in particular to issues of power (Obradovic´, 2017). If we lose sight of the 'real world' in our escape from positivism, we run the risk of falling into a rationalism that would not be much better.…”