Reading List

Voices of Collective Remembering

By James V. Wertsch • 2002

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

By Anthony D. Smith • 1999

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

From the Ruins of Colonialism

History as Social Memory

By Chris Healy • 1997

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

A New History for a New South Africa

By June Bam • 1996

Asian-Pacific Feminist Coalition Politics

The "Chŏngshindae/Jūgunianfu" ("Comfort Women") Movement

By Alice Yun Chai • 1993

The article discusses the sexual violence that was perpetrated during Japan’s Pacific War, how this has since been addressed and politicized, and how discussion of this topic has spread to a global feminist movement to Eastern and Southeast Asian countries. Read More