Concepts

Eric Hobsbawm argued that "ancient" rituals are often modern inventions. Here's Hobsbawm’s theory on the invention of tradition and national identity with examples.

What is a mythomoteur? Explore John A. Armstrong’s concept of the "constitutive myth," the symbolic engine that drives national identity and group solidarity.

A glossary of useful terms for anyone interested in Memory Studies.

Lieux de mémoire or sites of memory are places or objects which act as repositories of memories. The term was coined by French historian Pierre Nora.

PhD candidate Argyris Sakorafas discusses the experience of Greek migrants on the transatlantic journey and why steamships were true global melting pots.

A breakdwown of Benedict Anderson’s theory of the nation as an imagined community, print capitalism, and why this matters.

The difference between cultural and communicative memory, the "Floating Gap," and why Jan Assmann's theory matters for memory studies.

Laurajane Smith has argued that heritage is not something material as we commonly think, but rather a discourse that selects what is worth preserving. She called this the Authorized Heritage Discourse (ADH).

Ethnosymbolism is an approach to the study of nationalism, grounded in the work of Anthony D. Smith, that emphasizes the importance of symbols, myths, and memories.

The term 'collective memory' was coined by the French philosopher Maurice Halbwachs to describe the process by which groups of people remember things and construct their group identities.