Overview
- Only book which comprehensively reconstructs/conceptualises and theorises claims to know the lessons from past wrongdoing
- Draws on modes of analysis and interpretation rarely used in the field of social memory studies
- Contributes to developing a theory of collective learning processes
Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies (PMMS)
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
About this book
This book reconstructs how claims to know ‘the lessons’ from past wrongdoings are made useful in the present. These claims are powerful tools in contemporary debates over who we are, who we want to be and what we should do. Drawing on a wide range of spoken and written texts from Austria, Denmark, Germany and the United States, this book proposes an abstract framework through which such claims can be understood. It does so by conceptualising four rhetorics of learning and how each of them links memories of past wrongdoings to opposition to present and future wrongdoings. Drawing extensively on narrative theory, Lessons from the Past? reconstructs how links between past, present and future can be narrativised, thus helping to understand the subjectivities and feelings that these stories facilitate. The book closes by considering if and how such rhetorics might live up to their promise to know ‘the lessons’ and to enable learning, offering a revised theory of collective learning processes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
Table of contents (8 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Reviews
“Lessons from the past? addresses questions that are urgently raised, yet rarely tackled explicitly, in the ever-expanding body of literature on collective memory. In the process, Forchtner provides a valuable conceptual apparatus not only for scholars of memory but also sociologists of culture, politics, and knowledge more generally.” (Christina Simko, European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology, Vol. 5 (03), 2018)
“This book opens up new horizons in the sociological study of memory. It is not only a theoretical adventure, trying to push a critical approach to memory studies, going beyond Habermas, but also an empirical study full of insights into the workings and transformations of the collective memories we live with and the claims to know the lessons from the past which arise from them. It is required reading for everybody looking to make sense of the dynamics of everyday discourse and political discourse in present-day societies about their pasts.” (Klaus Eder, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany)
“It has almost become cliché to claim to have ‘learnt from history’ in commemorative rhetoric. But what does this mean? Which lessons are to be taken? And how do these lessons vary when referring to Our or Their past wrongdoing? In this erudite and provocative book, Forchtner outlines and analyses four rhetorics of learning – each of which, whilst presenting history as a teacher, are characterised by different narrative grammars. Lessons from the Past? is vital reading for anyone interested in Memory Studies and the politics of commemoration.” (John E. Richardson, Loughborough University, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bernhard Forchtner is Lecturer at the School of Media, Communication and Sociology, University of Leicester, UK. He has published in the field of memory studies, environmental communication, the far right in Europe and at the interface of sociological theory and critical discourse studies.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Lessons from the Past?
Book Subtitle: Memory, Narrativity and Subjectivity
Authors: Bernhard Forchtner
Series Title: Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48322-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-48321-8Published: 28 November 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-48322-5Published: 17 November 2016
Series ISSN: 2634-6257
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6265
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 234
Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations
Topics: Cultural Heritage, Memory Studies, Cultural History