War and Remembrance in the Twentieth Century (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare)

Drawing on material from Europe, America and the Middle East, leading scholars of twentieth century history address the issue of how wars, and the loss of life in wars, have been remembered collectively in the aftermath of conflicts such as the First and Second World Wars, the Spanish Civil War and the Algerian War. However, rather than focus on whole societies or ruling groups alone, this volume adopts a "social agency" approach to highlight the behavior of small groups and individuals who do the work of remembrance. "No scholarly consensus exists about how the terms 'memory' and 'collective memory' may most fruitfully inform historical study. Hence there is still much room for reflection and clarification in this branch of cultural history. How war has been remembered collectively is the central question in this volume. War in the twentieth century is a vivid and traumatic phenomenon which has left behind it survivors who engage time and time again in acts of remembrance. Thus this volume, which contains essays by outstanding scholars of twentieth-century history, focuses on the issues raised by the shadow of war in this century. Drawing on material from countries in Europe, and from Israel and the United States, the contributors have adopted a 'social agency' approach which highlights the behaviour, not of whole societies or of ruling groups alone, but of the individuals who do the work of remembrance, who feel they have a duty to remember, and who want to preserve a piece of the past."--Jacket How war has been remembered collectively is the central question in this volume. War in the twentieth century is a vivid and traumatic phenomenon which left behind it survivors who engage time and time again in acts of remembrance. This volume, containing essays by outstanding scholars of twentieth-century history, focuses on the issues raised by the shadow of war in this century. The behaviour, not of whole societies or of ruling groups alone, but of the individuals who do the work of remembrance, is discussed by examining the traumatic collective memory resulting from the horrors of the First World War, the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, and the Algerian War. By studying public forms of remembrance, such as museums and exhibitions, literature and film, the editors have succeeded in bringing together a volume which demonstrates that a popular kind of collective memory is still very much alive.

collaborative Volume Examining How Wars Have Been Remembered In Europe, America And The Middle East.

history Today

the Vivid And Traumatic Phenomenon Of War Provides The Basis For A Detailed Examination Of How War Has Been Remembered Collectively This Century. Material Is Drawn From Europe, America And Israel To Show That Small Groups Of Survivors Act Together In Order To Preserve A Piece Of The Past.