Aims

We live in times of an unprecedented ‘memory boom’, where conflicts over memory, memorials and commemoration are present in society – in media and discourse as well as in heritage and memory practices. This module asks you to think about how we remember and represent important issues from the past and in which media. It asks: what choices are made - and by whom - over what should be remembered, and what forgotten? Who has the right to tell and the authority to be believed? Whose voices have been neglected and how are ‘memory activists’ changing this? How is memory mediated within society and culture and for what purposes?

This interdisciplinary module aims to analyse why memory matters – to whom, when, where and how. It aims to give you tools to think about different scales and dimensions of memory; from the personal to the global, from the concrete to the virtual, from the happy to the horrific. It aims to give you the confidence to work with different theoretical, methodological and practical approaches to memory. It aims to enable you to identify relationships of power, pragmatic and utopian politics, and preoccupations with place in contemporary battles to remember, and, ultimately, to position yourself in this fascinating and contested field.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus may be subject to changes but may typically include:

Concepts, definitions and challenges; Memory actors and memory activism; Media representation and witnessing; Memory and emotion; Memories of children and childhood; (En)gendering memory; Performativity and commemorative practice; Anniversaries; Archives in cultures of amnesia; Multidirectional memory; National memories; Memories without borders; Cosmopolitanism; COVID memories; The future(s) of memory.

Some of these topics include memories of difficult or traumatic events, including war and the Holocaust.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Interactive workshops will provide you with the theoretical and methodological framework you need to become familiar with key names and concepts in the field. You will study the relevant literature and case studies in detail in the first part of the module before going on to focus on, and present, your own chosen case studies as part of the preparation for your summative essay plan. This structure will enable you to become proficient at recognising the points of controversy and to become confident at intervening in the debates. Two drop-ins will be provided for discussion of feedback on the essay plan and scaffold learning towards the essay itself.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The assessment is planned in such a way as to allow for incremental, reflexive learning.

The essay plan allows you to select a topic of interest and refine your ideas into a format that will allow you to receive feedback before writing your summative essay.

The combined assessment methods offer you the opportunity to explore themes from the module and apply them in a theoretical and practical way. Essay 1 allows you to identify and critique theories, themes and methods discussed within the module in order to analyse different scales and dimensions of memory in relation to examples of your choice. You will be given a list of potential essay questions, but will also be able to define your own topics in consultation with the module leader, enabling you to draw out specific interests, practices or debates that are of interest to you.