Social Memory and History
Anthropological Perspectives
Jacob J Climo editor Maria G Cattell editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:AltaMira Press
Published:23rd Oct '02
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

In Social Memory and History, a group of anthropologists, sociologists, social linguists, gerontologists, and historians explore the ways in which memory reconstructs the past and constructs the present. A substantial introduction by the editors outlines the key issues in the understanding of social memory: its nature and process, its personal and political implications, the crisis in memory, and the relationship between social and individual memory. Ten cross-cultural case studies—groups ranging from Kiowa songsters, Burgundian farmers, elderly Phildelaphia whites, Chilean political activists, American immigrants to Israel, and Irish working class women—then explore how social memory transmits culture or contests it at the individual, community, and national levels in both tangible and symbolic spheres.
Reviewing the connection between memory, history, and meaning, this volume is well researched, detailed, and thoughtful. It stresses the anthropological perspective that memory is dependent on culture and context. It is an excellent précis of how memory is constructed, how it works or does not work, and how individuals and different groups of people view it. -- Marjorie M. Schweitzer, Emerita, Oklahoma State University
Each one of the chapters in this collection is creditable, and yet overall there is an imperative to pull together the flourish of innovative work on social memory and history, both within and beyond anthropology. * Cultural and Social History *
The impressive breadth of material included in this volume reflects just how encompassing the concept of social or collective memory has become...The essays in Social Memory and History reflect both the strengths and potential pitfalls of current social memory research. -- Jason James, Lafayette College * The Public Historian *
Climo and Cattell’s collection of essays from a variety of fields address important issues related to understanding the construction of social memory. The contributing authors provide 10 case studies that demonstrate how memory transmits culture or contests it at the individual, community, and national levels. While the volume reaches across disciplines, it is also a major contribution to anthropology and it should be read by students and scholars interested in how history and anthropology can work together. -- Paul Shackel, (Professor and Director, University of Maryland Center for Heritage Resource Studies)
ISBN: 9780759101784
Dimensions: 228mm x 148mm x 16mm
Weight: 399g
252 pages