Theorizing Historical Consciousness sets various theoretical approaches to the study of historical consciousness side-by-side, enabling us to chart the future study of how people understand the past. Within this book, the problem of historical consciousness from the disciplinary perspectives of history, historiography, philosophy, collective memory, psychology, and history education, is addressed. Read More
The author outlines a particular version of collective remembering grounded in the use of ‘textual resources’, especially narratives. This takes him into the special properties of narrative that shape this process and into the issues of how these textual resources are produced and consumed. Wertsch brings these general ideas to life by examining the rapid, massive transformation of collective memory during the transition from Soviet to post-Soviet Russia. Read More
Myths and Memories of the Nation explores the roots of nationalism by examining the myths, symbols and memories of the nation through a ‘ethno-symbolic’ approach. The book reveals the continuing power of myth and memory to mobilise, define and shape people and their destinies, examines the variety and durability of ethnic attachments and national identities, and assesses the contemporary revival of ethnic conflicts and nationalism. Read More
The book focuses on investigating social and collective memory in the framework of Australian national identity. Healy Identifies problematic instances of white and black histories through James Cook, the British navigator. In examining the ways in which memories and histories were installed during and after the nineteenth century, Healy draws on a good deal of recent research, notably the work of Tom Griffiths. Read More