Module overview
Whether in the form of monuments, stories or rituals a desire to remember seems to be everywhere in most if not all contemporary nation states. In some respect this has been fuelled by the continually evolving international situation, which has posed a series of challenges to the construction and articulation of national borders and identities. In light of these developments, this module explores different facets of the relationship between memory and the nation from a variety of historical, political, social and cultural perspectives. It highlights the ways in which memory has been deployed by nations to buttress their legitimacy and to create unifying national narratives. However, it also interrogates the way these claims have been challenged and undermined by remembrance practices and mobilisations generated at the grassroots by memory activists and entrepreneurs. Additionally, the module will introduce you to the concept of transnationalism by considering cases where memories cross or transcend national boundaries and communities and the particular issues this raises for nation-states. Combining critical theoretical texts with a range of case studies, the module offers the opportunity to engage with complex questions surrounding the creation, articulation and contestation of national identities and notions of belonging.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- demonstrate confidence and skill when engaging in high-level academic discussion and debate
- interpret and reflect critically, at an advanced level, on a range of global cultural texts/case studies
- employ cultural theory in high-level analysis of cultural trends, narratives and texts
- discuss critically, and at a high level, the relationship between memory and history
- evaluate advanced theoretical approaches to nationhood, culture and identity
- communicate a high-level academic argument in written and oral form
- consider the relationship of theoretical ideas to historical context, at an advanced level
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- working and thinking globally and across cultures, at an advanced level
- how culture manifests and is disseminated through global exchange and encounter, at an advanced level
- a broad range of high-level theoretical work on national, international and transnational forms of memory, from a range of disciplines
- the role of memory in the formation of nationhood and national identity, in cultural, social and political terms
- advanced conceptualisations, theories and debates around nationhood, identity and memory
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- engage in high-level analysis of case studies and arguments
- identify, select and draw upon a wide range of printed and electronic sources
- communicate complex, advanced ideas and arguments in an essay format
- manage deadlines and make effective use of your time
- engage in advanced debate around complex, high-level ideas and theories
- reach an advanced level of global and cultural awareness
- communicate advanced, complex ideas and arguments orally
Syllabus
Typically the syllabus will cover:
Part 1: Theories, concepts and debates
Memory: An Introduction to Theory and Practice
Problematising the Nation
Transnationalism: Origins and Debates
Part 2: The Nation State and Beyond
Celebrating and Commemorating the Nation
Conflict and National Memory: World War I and II The Holocaust as National Memory
Colonial and Postcolonial Memories
Memory and Migration
Part 3: New Directions in Memory
Multidirectional Memory
Palimpsest Memories
The Commodification of Memory
Researching Memory: Sources and Methods.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, seminars and individual tutorials, alongside in-depth independent study.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Guided independent study | 126 |
| Seminar | 24 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Confino, Alon (1997). Collective memory and cultural history: problems of method. American Historical Review, 102(5).
Textbooks
Nora, Pierre (1984-1992). Realms of Memory / Les lieux de mémoire, 3 vols.
Connerton, Paul (1989). How Societies Remember.
Winter, Jay, and Emmanuel Sivan (2000). War and Remembrance in the Twentieth Century.
Vertovec, Steven (2009). Transnationalism.
Halbwachs, Maurice (1950). On Collective Memory / Les cadres sociaux de la mémoire.
Rothberg, Michael (2009). Multidirectional Memory: Remembering the Holocaust in the Age of Decolonization.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 70% |
| Individual Presentation | 30% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 70% |
| Individual Presentation | 30% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual Presentation | 30% |
| Essay | 70% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External