Social memory a new vision for the past

Author's name: James Ventress, Christopher Wickham Publisher: National Center for Translation Year of publication: 2024 Literary classification: Humanities Book overview: This book is limited to two tasks: the first is to present something about how memory works, and the second, a critical view of historians and sociologists' perspective on memory and their use of it as a research tool, and to suggest several ways in which it can provide a better understanding of its subject matter so that more convincing results can be achieved. In this book, the authors explore the role of memory in addressing and constructing the past, noting that diversity and change in historical myths in stories of fairies and legends, as well as in the writing of history itself, reflect specific political and moral viewpoints in terms of time and place, and are equally revealing as the things that different groups choose to revive. The authors also integrate local and national memory, considering the extent to which each is constructed or independent for intellectual or political purposes. The work of social memory is creative above all, and understanding how that works — as this book brilliantly demonstrates. It offers valuable insights into human culture and society both currently and in the past.