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named after Academician Georg Brutian

WISDOM

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YEREVAN – 2018
 D a v i t M O S I N YA N

UDC 1/14
Davit MOSINYAN

HISTORY AND MEMORY

Abstract

This paper discusses the issue of the relationship of history and memory. Memory becomes a topic
in historical discourses as it deals with identity, especially when we speak of collective memory. The
paper presents the history of the relationship of history and memory and suggests a thesis according to
which the close interaction between these two concepts can solve the crisis of identity that has been
most urgent in our days.

Keywords: history, memory, identity, collective memory, narrative, identity crisis.

The reference to the memory in historical Moreover, the possibility of collective

discourses is usually perceived as a guarantee of memory is often challenged. And if the issue
the ontological justification of history since the came to the problem of the relationship between
representative of the past is the memory. Mo- a narrative and an event, the political point of
reover, sometimes these two words appear as sy- view refers to the ability to ‗conquer‘ the memo-
nonyms because memory is always the memory ry. For instance, Susan Sontag argues that there
of the past, and the past is embodied only in the is no collective memory, explaining that memory
memory. The so-called legitimacy of the me- dies with every individual (see Sontag, 2003, p.
mory began with Herodotus when he had justi- 85). According to her, collective memory is not a
fied his History by saving the events from obliv- process of recalling, but a set of conditions ac-
ion. cording to which some events of the past are
In recent times, memory has become a wi- more important and have taken place in a certain
der topic of discussion because it is closely lin- way. From here, it is noticeable that collective
ked to the identity problem, and the latter has memory is bordering with ideology. And since
been reinterpreted since the 20th century with the the ideology in Western thought usually is asso-
global mapping strategies. From this point of ciated with Nazism, chauvinism, racism and oth-
view, the memory problem loses its ‗impar- er similar concepts, so rebellions against collec-
tiality‘ because the issue gets underlined political tive memory become clear. If we add psycholog-
tone; the problem of identity implies a political ical considerations that memory is not passive
context, especially if it refers to national identity, and neutral, but the subject adjusts the past to
to collective memory because history is the me- himself through memory, then it becomes clear
mory of a nation or any other community. And, that the memory is ‗politicized‘.
consequently, there is a danger of imposing one‘s After the discovery that memory was a
own (subjective) memory as history. ‗weapon‘ in history, the contrast between history
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 History and Memory

and memory was noticed. One of the first to int- pression because it connects two terms opposed
roduce this contrast and to start the current in more than one aspect‖ (Halbwachs, 1980, p.
memory discourse was Maurice Halbawachs. 78). Certainly, history derives from collecting
Through the works of Halbwachs, the idea memory or memories, but according to Hal-
of a social determination of memory goes like a bawachs, history is essentially regulated and pre-
red thread. At first glance, it may seem that sented with certain principles, which ultimately
memory is a faculty which could exist only in a differs from all memory. As Halbwachs noticed,
person‘s body or brain, but at least, different re- ―General history starts only when tradition ends,
membrances of the same event can be organised and the social memory is fading or breaking up‖
within a group and transformed into impersonal (Halbwachs, 1980, p. 78). The justification of
or collective memory (see Halbwachs, 1980, p. this thesis basically consists of two reasons. The
50). Moreover, collective memory is not a me- first reason is the continuity of memory and the
chanical sum of individual memories, ―it evolves discontinuity of history; there is an impression
according to its laws, and any individual remem- that people, traditions, and relationships change
brances that may penetrate are transformed with- radically in every historical period, whereas such
in a totality having no personal consciousness‖ changes are almost invisible within the living
(Halbwachs, 1980, p. 51). In other words, not memory. From an epistemological point of view,
only collective memory exists in itself, but it also this observation reminds a well-known
implies a personal memory because the latter is narrativist thesis that nothing corresponds to the
formed in a particular relationship with a com- narratives in reality. The other reason is the limi-
munity. Absolutely alone person would not have tation of memory and the universalistic ambi-
memory: the need for memory is of social bases. tions of history; there is no universal memory, as
Though no individual memory can be embodied collective memories are numerous, and history
in another person, but every individual expe- tends to be universal. Besides, essential and ines-
riences the memories of other surrounding indi- sential properties are undistinguished in the
viduals, especially if they refer to the common memory, while history presents itself as a neces-
reality for different individuals. As Aleida Ass- sary and definite substance. On the one hand, this
mann writes, ―To be part of a collective group means that the event cannot become history as
such as the nation one has to share and adopt the long as are alive the generations who have wit-
group's history, which exceeds the boundaries of nessed that event, because emotional experiences
one's individual lifespan‖ (Assmann, 2008, p. will not give a chance to present a linguistic nar-
52). rative. But on the other hand, it means that from
After justifying the existence of collective a historical point of view the legitimacy of mem-
memory, Halbwachs develops the thesis of con- ories will lead to political manipulations. This
tradiction between collective memory and histo- part of the problem has been touched upon in
ry. Preventing the possible reasoning based on more detail by Pierre Nora, continuing the con-
his arguments, which would identify the memory structivist approach from Halbwachs, but, in-
and history, Halbwachs writes: ―The collective deed, also proofreading it.
memory is not the same as formal history, and Nora is, first of all, well-known with the
‗historical memory‘ is a rather unfortunate ex- idea of „lieux de mémoire‟ (memory locations).
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By lieux de mémoire, he certainly does not refer no longer perceives memory as a prayer, believ-
to the topographical locations, but rather so- ing only in archives. Memory is materialized
called crystallized memory in the broadest sense: (transforming into a location), the sacred cleans
flag, calendar, archive, museum, library and so its tracks from the memory space, the archives
on. Moreover, ―they are lieux in three senses of devour life, history captures memory. And in this
the word – material, symbolic, and functional‖ environment, talking about memory, therefore,
(Nora, 1989, p. 18-19). Nora begins with the idea you talk about history. All this happens because
of the difference between memory and history of the ‗acceleration of history,‘ which destroys
and adds that they are now radically opposed. all historical metanarratives and, hence, the na-
―Memory is life, borne by living societies foun- tional identity. And in this case a historian has
ded in its name. … History, on the other hand, is nothing else to do than to propose lieux de
the reconstruction, always problematic and in- mémoire which seem to be aimed at eliminating
complete, of what is no longer. Memory is a per- the gap between memory and history. Nora who
petually actual phenomenon, a bond tying us to is a chairman of the international association
the eternal present; history is a representation of Freedom for History, protests against the law
the past‖, – writes Nora (Nora, 1989, p. 8). How- deriving from the French constitution, that the
ever, they are most significantly opposed at the President has the right to interfere with the solu-
level of their bearers: ―there are as many memo- tion of historical problems, as a result of which,
ries as there are groups… History, on the other in fact, the memory extends extensively from
hand, belongs to everyone and to no one‖ (Nora, history. In this point, the political context of the
1989, p. 9). (It should be noted that often the problem of relationship between history and
concept of seemingly neutrality of history be- memory is discovered. Every historical and polit-
comes the subject of political discourse; history ical subject, by ignoring others memories, tries to
is, in any case, presented on behalf of a group make a ‗universal‘ history and impose it on the
and viewpoint, in fact, questioning the memories public.
of others). However, such an aggressive campaign of
According to Nora, history-memory has history reveals the corresponding rebellion, as a
been lost due to the breakdown between memory number of questions remain unanswered. In oth-
and history. Considering the contradictory ten- er words, ―mere contrasting of the memory and
dency of language and experience, Nora notes the history cannot introduce the immense range
that ―we speak so much of memory because of the history in a comprehensive manner. To
there is so little of it left‖ (Nora, 1989, p. 7). perceive the relationship between the memory
Memory diminishes because the nation is lost as and the history means somehow to reveal both
the main bearer of the collective memory, yiel- their difference and contrast, and especially the
ding to the impersonal society. Essentially, it is prospects of comparative dialogue‖ (Hovhannis-
due to the nationality that the memory aspiration yan, 2014, p. 76). These prospects are thoroughly
maintains its virtue, ―the memory-nation was analyzed by Jan and Aleida Assmanns. Jan Ass-
thus the last incarnation of the unification of mann recognizing that memory is manifested in
memory and history‖ (Nora, 1989, p. 11). The communication nevertheless describes Halb-
society which tends to ruin the very traditional, wachs‘s approach as an extreme one and sug-
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 History and Memory

gests to consider the problem not only from the postponed forever. This refers to the history in
logical point of view but also in the historical the postmodern condition and the possibility of
context (see Assmann, 1988). Historically, the thinking the identity, particularly traumatic
relationship between memory and history can be identity. Lyotard has already shown that post-
presented in three stages: the identity between modern is an incredulity toward metanarratives
history and memory, the polarization between (see Lyotard, 1984, p. xxiv) or the end of the Big
history and memory, and the interaction between Story. And, apparently, the memory is as much
history and memory (see, Assmann, 2008, p. 57). unreliable as the history. Moreover, in the series
For a long time, since Ancient Greece his- of postmodern deconstructions the history is in-
tory, writing has merely meant to fix the memo- evitably ahead of the memory since the latter has
ry. The goddess Mnemosyne was the mother of individual bearers, is more subjective and vital.
the all Muses which embodied the universal me- An even more powerful incentive for the
mory and thus the whole past from which the interaction between history and memory is the
present is emerged both in material and poetic identity crisis, for the memory, obviously, is an
world. And it is no coincidence that the know- essential element of what is now called collective
ledge in Plato‘s philosophy was identical to rec- identity. Generally, when we speak about identi-
ollection or memory. To be a historian in Greek ty, particularly about national identity, we should
culture means to remember people, to be poet take into account two different principles: the
means to remember the gods. And this was also first is ethnos, geographical location, language,
the reason why the poet was more important than traditions, etc., the second is the national me-
the historian there. In the early modern times, mory which creates myths. In the contemporary
though, the Cartesian cogito was separated from world the former are either vanishing or ultimate-
memory and history and turned into a purely log- ly unable to propose an operational program
ical structure. Nevertheless, history and memory about national identity. The myths created by the
remained together, although in the shade. The collective memory are only able to convert the
polarization between history and memory began narratives of the past into ‗icons‘ and to ensure
with the emergence of historism when the histor- the continuity of the collectivity.
ical consciousness in Europe became more mate- Since the trauma usually has greater capa-
rial in the form of faculties, chairs, and sciences. bility to ensure a collectivity, so the problem of
The historiography demanded rhetorical, stylis- the relationship between history and memory
tic, logical, and other methods that elevated it becomes more urgent in the context of the tra-
from the private and indefinite memory. And uma. One may say that ―for some scholars inter-
historical narratives had almost nothing in com- ested in memory as a metahistorical category,
mon with the memory. The latter both intellectu- ‗trauma‘ is the key to authentic forms of me-
ally and psychologically was criticized either as a mory, and memories shaped by trauma are the
result of imagination (Breton), or an unconscious most likely to subvert totalizing varieties of
choice (Freud), or a hopeless shelter of the past. historicism‖ (Klein, 2000, p. 138); and the trau-
Nevertheless, the polarisation between ma memories are the most authentic. In publica-
history and memory had to shrink. Otherwise the tions dedicated to the trauma, the genocide has
solution to some problems would have been become the subject of many investigations, sure-
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ly, in the form of Holocaust. By the way, Nora Assmann, J. (1988). Kollektives Gedächtnis und
has even developed a conception of hierarchy of kulturelle Identität. Kultur und Gedäch-
genocides where the Holocaust and the Arme- tnis, 9-19. (J. Assmann und T. Höls-
nian Genocide (Eghern) are contrasted (see Hov- cher, hrsg.). Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
hannisyan, 2014). The memory passed through Halbwachs, M. (1980). The Collective Memory.
the Genocide tries to turn into a history that will New York: Harper & Row.
bridge the past and the present, for the universal Hovhannisyan, S. (2014). Memory and History.
memory ―is the quality of the male genius‖ The Problem of Hierarchy of Geno-
(Weininger, 2005, p. 106). One of the best ex- cides in Pierre Nora‟s Theory. Yere-
amples of making a history by witnesses and van: Antares.
survivors is perhaps a French documentary film Klein, K. L. (2000, Winter). On the Emergence
Shoah (1985) by Claude Lanzmann which lasts of Memory in Historical Discourse.
nine hours. From the standpoint of identity, the Representations, 69, 127-150.
influence of the Genocide is the loss of own gro- Lyotard, J.-F. (1984). The Postmodern Condi-
unds, so the problem is the restoration of those tion: A Report on Knowledge. (G. Ben-
grounds. And it is here the memory-history pro- nington and B. Massumi, Trans.)
cess tends to fill that decayed gap, it is here that University of Minnesota Press.
memory and history are united; the memory Nora, P. (1989, Spring). Between Memory and
wants more or less substantial reasoning, and his- History: Les Lieux de Mémoire. Repre-
tory tries to extract vitality from memories. sentations, 26, Special Issue: Memory
and Counter-Memory, 7-24.
REFERENCES Sontag, S. (2003). Regarding the Pain of Others.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Assmann, A. (2008, Spring). Transformations Weininger, O. (2005). Sex and Character. In-
between History and Memory. Social diana University Press.
Research, 75(1), 49-72.

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