Influence Of Comunicative And Cultural Memory

The “Communicative and Cultural Memory” conference hosted in Brazil on May 15, 2013 by Aleida and Jan Assmann addresses the influence of memory on a culture and nation. Jan Assmann is a Religious and Cultural Theory Honorary Professor at the University of Konstanz with a Dr. honoris causa in Theology from the University of Munster. Aleida Assmann is an English and Comparative Literature Professor at the University of Konstanz with a Ph.D in English Literature and Egyptology from University of Heidelberg and University of Tubingen, respectively. Jan addressed how cultural memory can mold identities whereas Aleida explained how communicative memory can shape a nation. Either way, the Assmanns both agree memory is a powerful tool that affects

In sociological terms, there are two types of cultures: material and nonmaterial. Material culture includes the sacred texts or scriptures, monuments, traditional clothing, food…etc. Alternatively, nonmaterial culture involves the celebrations, values, and traditions…etc. For instance, in Christianity, the Bible is part of the material culture, but the values taught and embodied by this community constitutes as nonmaterial culture. Interestingly, cultural memory is the encompassment of the two! As Jan explained, cultural memory involves anything that can be “objectified and institutionalized [as] memories, that can be stored, transferred and reincorporated throughout generations.” Jan argued the “symbolic institutionalized heritage” shared among groups of people services as the unifying force and reinforces a shared

The sin of persistence, which involves intrusive memory we would like to forget, discusses the idea of cultural memory in the traumatic experiences of Bosnian refugees. Interestingly enough, Jan mentioned the Bosnian War when discussing how totalitarian regimes have implemented ways of exploiting cultural memory to control different sectors of people. In fact, Jan declares “…if one controls the present, the past also gets under control, and if one controls the past, the future also gets under control.” Consequently, both the Assmanns and Schacter prove how vital memory is to the formation, sustainment, and even destruction of an identity, a nation, and quite often