Towards a "New Era" in Social Memory Studies?

Abstract

Social memory is currently a central topic at both the rhetoric and the academic level. This has led to a remarkable theoretical and conceptual effervescence in this field. While for some authors such state of affairs suggests a lack of precision and clarity − terminologically as well as conceptually − and even warns us about the imminent ‘fatigue’ of the field, our position is consistent with those authors who point to a reconfiguration of the manifestations of memory and the social arenas associated with it. Through an analytical historicization of terminological and conceptual developments in memory studies, this paper outlines a first and second ‘era’ of memory studies, towards the beginning and end of the last century. It also points to the emergence of a third period, a 'new era' in memory praxis and theory. As part of broader processes of globalization and transnational flows, as well as hypermobility of individuals and cultural objectification, fuelled by increasing technological capabilities and media literacy, unprecedented mnemonic modes, practices, and spaces develop. This scenario suggests a need for new perspectives, which can dialogue with existing ones, and an expansion of the theoretical and conceptual focus on the transformations and continuities of memory.