How do societies remember? What events and experiences become part of our shared patrimony and what stories are lost to time? Who decides? What are the dynamics -- and the politics -- of collective memory? In this course, we will examine these questions in the context of several different societies and historical problems. Topics examined include slavery and the transatlantic slave trade; the Holocaust; South African apartheid; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the Civil Rights movement; and the current battles over historical memorials and monuments.
5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
How do societies remember? What events and experiences become part of our shared patrimony and what stories are lost to time? Who decides? What are the dynamics -- and the politics -- of collective memory? In this course, we will examine these questions in the context of several different societies and historical problems. Topics examined include slavery and the transatlantic slave trade; the Holocaust; South African apartheid; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the Civil Rights movement; and the current battles over historical memorials and monuments.