Memory and the Impact of Political Transformation in Public Space

Radical Perspectives

by Daniel J. Walkowitz (Editor)

Memory and the Impact of Political Transformation in Public Space explores the effects of major upheavals—wars, decolonization, and other social and economic changes—on the ways in which public histories are presented around the world. Examining issues related to public memory in twelve countries, the histories collected here cut across political, cultural, and geographic divisions. At the same time, by revealing recurring themes and concerns, they show how basic issues of history and memory transcend specific sites and moments in time. A number of the essays look at contests over public memory following two major political the wave of liberation from colonial rule in much of Africa, Asia, and Central and South America during the second half of the twentieth century and the reorganization of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet bloc beginning in the late 1980s. This collection expands the scope of what is considered public history by pointing to silences and absences that are as telling as museums and memorials. Contributors remind us that for every monument that is erected, others—including one celebrating Sri Lanka’s independence and another honoring the Unknown Russian Soldier of World War II—remain on the drawing board. While some sites seem woefully underserved by a lack of public memorials—as do post–Pinochet Chile and post–civil war El Salvador—others run the risk of diluting meaning through overexposure, as may be happening with Israel’s Masada. Essayists examine public history as it is conveyed not only in marble and stone but also through cityscapes and performances such as popular songs and parades. Contributors
James Carter
John Czaplicka
Kanishka Goonewardena
Lisa Maya Knauer
Anna Krylova
Teresa Meade
Bill Nasson
Mary Nolan
Cynthia Paces
Andrew Ross
Daniel Seltz
T. M. Scruggs
Irina Carlota Silber
Daniel J. Walkowitz
Yael Zerubavel

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jennifer Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seminar.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up almost five years ago, at the American Anthropology Association's annual meeting in DC. It took me ages to get to and except for three very good articles, I could have waited a bit longer.

Primarily a collection of essays by historians, the entries don't delve deeper into the cultural impact or local perceptions of the topics they discuss. It's still at a high level, as you might expect from an historian or political scientist.

Of the three articles I really enjoyed, one was written by an anthropologist, one by an ethnomusicologist (a field of anthropology) and one was written by a Fulbright scholar. Two of the articles, both the two anthropologists, focused on Latin America (El Salvador and Nicaragua. Given my training in anthropology, roots in leftist politics and great interest in Latin America, my love of these two articles might have seem predestined.

My favorite piece was Irina Carlota Silber's essay on "Commemorating the Past in Postwar El Salvador" was a great piece that touched on survivors' battles to "author, represent and commemorate their positioned experiences of the past" (p. 215). She also focuses on how the new leaders of a postconflict society must navigate, appropriate and re(create) national histories and identities in order to facilitate and maintain their fragile power.

Next was T. M. Scrugg's piece on "Music, Memory, and the Politics of Erasure in Nicaragua." Here, he touched on the importance of art and music, especially as they are re(created), used and appropriated by the current governments. It was a fascinating work that touched on a topic I hadn't studied enough, mainly the role of music in defining and obscuring the past and present.

The last article I liked was on museums that commemorated the atomic bombings in Japan. In "Remembering the War and the Atomic Bombs," Daniel Seltz looks at how museums can decontextualize and contextualize events. The role of a museum, seen by some as the final arbiter of the truth, becomes a ground to either contest the past or to erase it. This article should have gone deeper into the museums' exhibits and local/national/international reaction. He touched on neat ideas but there wasn't enough "meat" on the framework he clearly set up.