Memory, forgetting, silence

Abstract

Halbwach's concept of collective memory (whose most complete expression would be national memory) is the starting point used in exploring how different processes and actors intervene in the formalization and solidification of memories. The contribution made by oral history in its emphasis on the importance of "underground memories" is examined from this perspective. Blossoming forth in moments of crisis to generate conflicts and disputes, these "underground memories" silently subvert the logic imposed by an official collective memory. The author employes examples of the memories of Soviet dissidents, of ex-concentration camp prisoners, and of Alsatian forced laborers to explore the boundaries of "forgotten" and of "unsaid" as well as the work of "charting" memory.