Generations and Collective Memory

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Generations and Collective Memory by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Amy Corning, Howard Schuman ISBN: 9780226282831
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: August 31, 2015
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
ISBN: 9780226282831
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: August 31, 2015
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

When discussing large social trends or experiences, we tend to group people into generations. But what does it mean to be part of a generation, and what gives that group meaning and coherence? It's collective memory, say Amy Corning and Howard Schuman, and in Generations and Collective Memory, they draw on an impressive range of research to show how generations share memories of formative experiences, and how understanding the way those memories form and change can help us understand society and history.

Their key finding—built on historical research and interviews in the United States and seven other countries (including China, Japan, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Israel, and Ukraine)—is that our most powerful generational memories are of shared experiences in adolescence and early adulthood, like the 1963 Kennedy assassination for those born in the 1950s or the fall of the Berlin Wall for young people in 1989. But there are exceptions to that rule, and they're significant: Corning and Schuman find that epochal events in a country, like revolutions, override the expected effects of age, affecting citizens of all ages with a similar power and lasting intensity.

The picture Corning and Schuman paint of collective memory and its formation is fascinating on its face, but it also offers intriguing new ways to think about the rise and fall of historical reputations and attitudes toward political issues.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When discussing large social trends or experiences, we tend to group people into generations. But what does it mean to be part of a generation, and what gives that group meaning and coherence? It's collective memory, say Amy Corning and Howard Schuman, and in Generations and Collective Memory, they draw on an impressive range of research to show how generations share memories of formative experiences, and how understanding the way those memories form and change can help us understand society and history.

Their key finding—built on historical research and interviews in the United States and seven other countries (including China, Japan, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Israel, and Ukraine)—is that our most powerful generational memories are of shared experiences in adolescence and early adulthood, like the 1963 Kennedy assassination for those born in the 1950s or the fall of the Berlin Wall for young people in 1989. But there are exceptions to that rule, and they're significant: Corning and Schuman find that epochal events in a country, like revolutions, override the expected effects of age, affecting citizens of all ages with a similar power and lasting intensity.

The picture Corning and Schuman paint of collective memory and its formation is fascinating on its face, but it also offers intriguing new ways to think about the rise and fall of historical reputations and attitudes toward political issues.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Forbidden Journeys by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Make Room for TV by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Culture and Practical Reason by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Undertones of War by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Darkness Visible by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book The Rural Modern by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book The Old-Time Saloon by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book England's Great Transformation by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Shakespeare Dwelling by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book The Man Who Thought He Was Napoleon by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book The Presence of Myth by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Sidereus Nuncius, or The Sidereal Messenger by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Invisible Hands by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Agrarian Revolt in a Mexican Village by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
Cover of the book Someone by Amy Corning, Howard Schuman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy