Collective Memory

Collective memory refers to the shared pool of memories, knowledge, and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity. Collective memory can be constructed, shared, and passed on by large and small social groups. Collective memory has been a topic of interest and research across a number of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, and anthropology. The concept of collective memory, initially developed by Halbwachs, has been explored and expanded from various angles – a few of these are introduced below. James E. Young has introduced the notion of 'collected memory' (opposed to collective memory), marking memory's inherently fragmented, collected and individual character, while Jan Assmann develops the notion of 'communicative memory', a variety of collective memory based on everyday communication. This form of memory is similar to the exchanges in an oral culture or the memories collected (and made collective) through oral history. As another subform of collective memories Assmann mentions forms detached from the everyday; it can be particular materialized and fixed points as, e.g. texts and monuments.

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