Re-Collection: A Proposal for Refining the Study of Collective Memory and its Places

Re-Collection: A Proposal for Refining the Study of Collective Memory and its Places

This article outlines a theory of re-collection as a means of enhancing and enriching the study of collective memory. Re-collection seeks to generate insights into two underdeveloped threads of collective memory research: (a) its processual and dynamic nature and (b) its largely emplaced character....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication theory Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 311 - 336
Main Authors: Aden, Roger C., Han, Min Wha, Norander, Stephanie, Pfahl, Michael E., Pollock Jr, Timothy P., Young, Stephanie L.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-08-2009
Oxford University Press
Subjects:
Brain
Case studies
Collective Memory
Communication
Communication research
Criticism
Discourse
Group dynamics
McGee, Michael
Meaning
Memory
Rhetoric
Social psychology
Social Theories
Theory
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Summary:This article outlines a theory of re-collection as a means of enhancing and enriching the study of collective memory. Re-collection seeks to generate insights into two underdeveloped threads of collective memory research: (a) its processual and dynamic nature and (b) its largely emplaced character. In particular, this article argues that places of memory are not finished texts, but sites of re-collection in which individuals and groups selectively cull and organize re-collected versions of the past. Grounded in Michael McGee's concept of rhetorical fragments, the theory of re-collection involves attending to discursive fragments of memory that circulate within and around the memory site-as well as the fragments brought to the site by individuals and collectives. Re-collection thus requires analytical tools beyond those traditionally used in rhetorical criticism-as is illustrated in a case study proposal for exploring the process of re-collection surrounding the Space Window in Washington National Cathedral. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Bibliography:istex:1186A19C669231B450A370602840BAB00C94A8DE
ark:/67375/WNG-44969Q6J-G
ArticleID:COMT1345
Authors are listed in alphabetical order.
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SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:1050-3293
1468-2885
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2009.01345.x