The memory of catastrophe

by Peter Gray (Editor)

Investigates the dynamic relationship between experiences of profound social and cultural disruption, and human memory. Critical comparisons are made across a wide variety of catastrophic experiences and memories; not just of war, but also of massacre, genocide, rebellion, famine, partition, shipwreck and fire. The book is an accessible showcase for a wide range of methodological approaches to the study of memory, including literary studies, cultural studies, participant-observation and historical studies, and uses a variety of oral, visual and written sources. Offers a diverse chronological and geographical range of catastrophic cases, from seventeenth-century England to the recent conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, from Ireland to the Indian sub-continent, from Mexico to wartime Leningrad. Well-written and accessible – a fascinating read.

Genres: History

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2004

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant study of memory, commemoration, identity and the politics of representation. The book is a collection of essays covering the idea of catastrophe broadly and includes war, disaster, trauma.