National memory is a key component of a state’s collective identity. Various interpretations of state histories allow citizens to publicly recollect, and in turn, shape the way that they understand one another in cultural, social, and political contexts. Emile Durkheim and Maurice Halbwachs create the groundwork for defining collective memory, an idea that is very closely related to how national memory functions. Maggie Andrews and Susan-Mary Grant uses this idea of group thinking to explore the topic of national memory and how a nation constantly reminds itself of past events—which Marita Sturken studies deeply, using the United States’ Vietnam War and AIDS epidemic as examples of how a collective memory affects the state’s national culture.
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In her journal “National Memory and War”, Andrews argues that the collective memory of a nation is influenced and remembered through different artifacts and events throughout the state, especially memorials. She affirms this by explaining that the events and monuments contribute to the processes in which national memory is constructed. She references Susan-Mary Grant, an expert on American History, who in her own journal, “Constructing a Commemorative Culture: American Veterans and Memorialization From Valley Forge to Vietnam”, supports Andrews’ argument by stating that, “[National memory is] expressed through a combination of ceremonial constructions and practices and personal published narratives” (Grant, 2011). Grant expands on this idea of physical objects and celebrations being used as remembering by writing that veterans, by making a point that these forms of remembrance are only a few within many. As part of her expertise in American history, Grant emphasises in her argument about national memory that veterans, both alive and dead, are deeply embedded in American culture as a constant reminder of past events. Andrews builds off of Grant’s case that remembrance takes on many shapes by bringing up her article, “Mediating Remembrance: Personalization and Celebrity in Television’s …show more content…
She claims that individual and collective memory often appear as the same, as they expose dimensions of cultural identity and give importance to the past (Sturken, 1992). She explains that significant monuments like the AIDS Quilt and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial act as ways to allow a nation to remember past events and as locations for inclusion and free expression. She furthers this point by explaining, “when the AIDS Quilt is displayed on the Mall, [it] demands inclusion in the nation…. the quilt represents those who have been symbolically excluded from America” (Sturken, 1992). She goes on to explain similar ideas that Andrews and Grant formed that physical objects are not the only mediums for remembrance, but the veterans of the Vietnam War play the same role as the memorial of the event. She also touches on another recurring idea from Andrews that the media is another device of national memory. She describes the media as a way for memories to be renewed without letting the difficulties of history in the modern day fade
In her journal “National Memory and War”, Andrews argues that the collective memory of a nation is influenced and remembered through different artifacts and events throughout the state, especially memorials. She affirms this by explaining that the events and monuments contribute to the processes in which national memory is constructed. She references Susan-Mary Grant, an expert on American History, who in her own journal, “Constructing a Commemorative Culture: American Veterans and Memorialization From Valley Forge to Vietnam”, supports Andrews’ argument by stating that, “[National memory is] expressed through a combination of ceremonial constructions and practices and personal published narratives” (Grant, 2011). Grant expands on this idea of physical objects and celebrations being used as remembering by writing that veterans, by making a point that these forms of remembrance are only a few within many. As part of her expertise in American history, Grant emphasises in her argument about national memory that veterans, both alive and dead, are deeply embedded in American culture as a constant reminder of past events. Andrews builds off of Grant’s case that remembrance takes on many shapes by bringing up her article, “Mediating Remembrance: Personalization and Celebrity in Television’s …show more content…
She claims that individual and collective memory often appear as the same, as they expose dimensions of cultural identity and give importance to the past (Sturken, 1992). She explains that significant monuments like the AIDS Quilt and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial act as ways to allow a nation to remember past events and as locations for inclusion and free expression. She furthers this point by explaining, “when the AIDS Quilt is displayed on the Mall, [it] demands inclusion in the nation…. the quilt represents those who have been symbolically excluded from America” (Sturken, 1992). She goes on to explain similar ideas that Andrews and Grant formed that physical objects are not the only mediums for remembrance, but the veterans of the Vietnam War play the same role as the memorial of the event. She also touches on another recurring idea from Andrews that the media is another device of national memory. She describes the media as a way for memories to be renewed without letting the difficulties of history in the modern day fade