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
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- engage in advanced debate around complex, high-level ideas and theories
- communicate advanced, complex ideas and arguments orally
- reach an advanced level of global and cultural awareness
- identify, select and draw upon a wide range of printed and electronic sources
- manage deadlines and make effective use of your time
- engage in high-level analysis of case studies and arguments
- communicate complex, advanced ideas and arguments in an essay format
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- consider the relationship of theoretical ideas to historical context, at an advanced level
- evaluate advanced theoretical approaches to nationhood, culture and identity
- employ cultural theory in high-level analysis of cultural trends, narratives and texts
- interpret and reflect critically, at an advanced level, on a range of global cultural texts/case studies
- demonstrate confidence and skill when engaging in high-level academic discussion and debate
- communicate a high-level academic argument in written and oral form
- discuss critically, and at a high level, the relationship between memory and history
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- advanced conceptualisations, theories and debates around nationhood, identity and memory
- the role of memory in the formation of nationhood and national identity, in cultural, social and political terms
- 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
- working and thinking globally and across cultures, at an advanced level
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
Winter, Jay, and Emmanuel Sivan (2000). War and Remembrance in the Twentieth Century.
Connerton, Paul (1989). How Societies Remember.
Vertovec, Steven (2009). Transnationalism.
Rothberg, Michael (2009). Multidirectional Memory: Remembering the Holocaust in the Age of Decolonization.
Nora, Pierre (1984-1992). Realms of Memory / Les lieux de mémoire, 3 vols.
Halbwachs, Maurice (1950). On Collective Memory / Les cadres sociaux de la mémoire.
Assessment
Summative
Summative assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 70% |
| Individual Presentation | 30% |
Referral
Referral assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual Presentation | 30% |
| Essay | 70% |
Repeat
Repeat assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual Presentation | 30% |
| Essay | 70% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External