The Politics of Regret

On Collective Memory and Historical Responsibility

Nonfiction, History, Modern, 20th Century, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book The Politics of Regret by Jeffrey K. Olick, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jeffrey K. Olick ISBN: 9781135909802
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: October 31, 2013
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Jeffrey K. Olick
ISBN: 9781135909802
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: October 31, 2013
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In the past decade, Jeffrey Olick has established himself as one of the world’s pre-eminent sociologists of memory (and, related to this, both cultural sociology and social theory). His recent book on memory in postwar Germany, In the House of the Hangman (University of Chicago Press, 2005) has garnered a great deal of acclaim. This book collects his best essays on a range of memory related issues and adds a couple of new ones. It is more conceptually expansive than his other work and will serve as a great introduction to this important theorist. In the past quarter century, the issue of memory has not only become an increasingly important analytical category for historians, sociologists and cultural theorists, it has become pervasive in popular culture as well. Part of this is a function of the enhanced role of both narrative and representation – the building blocks of memory, so to speak – across the social sciences and humanities. Just as importantly, though, there has also been an increasing acceptance of the notion that the past is no longer the province of professional historians alone. Additionally, acknowledging the importance of social memory has not only provided agency to ordinary people when it comes to understanding the past, it has made conflicting interpretations of the meaning of the past more fraught, particularly in light of the terrible events of the twentieth century.

Olick looks at how catastrophic, terrible pasts – Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa – are remembered, but he is particularly concerned with the role that memory plays in social structures. Memory can foster any number of things – social solidarity, nostalgia, civil war – but it always depends on both the nature of the past and the cultures doing the remembering. Prior to his studies of individual episodes, he fully develops his theory of memory and society, working through Bergson, Halbwachs, Elias, Bakhtin, and Bourdieu.

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

In the past decade, Jeffrey Olick has established himself as one of the world’s pre-eminent sociologists of memory (and, related to this, both cultural sociology and social theory). His recent book on memory in postwar Germany, In the House of the Hangman (University of Chicago Press, 2005) has garnered a great deal of acclaim. This book collects his best essays on a range of memory related issues and adds a couple of new ones. It is more conceptually expansive than his other work and will serve as a great introduction to this important theorist. In the past quarter century, the issue of memory has not only become an increasingly important analytical category for historians, sociologists and cultural theorists, it has become pervasive in popular culture as well. Part of this is a function of the enhanced role of both narrative and representation – the building blocks of memory, so to speak – across the social sciences and humanities. Just as importantly, though, there has also been an increasing acceptance of the notion that the past is no longer the province of professional historians alone. Additionally, acknowledging the importance of social memory has not only provided agency to ordinary people when it comes to understanding the past, it has made conflicting interpretations of the meaning of the past more fraught, particularly in light of the terrible events of the twentieth century.

Olick looks at how catastrophic, terrible pasts – Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa – are remembered, but he is particularly concerned with the role that memory plays in social structures. Memory can foster any number of things – social solidarity, nostalgia, civil war – but it always depends on both the nature of the past and the cultures doing the remembering. Prior to his studies of individual episodes, he fully develops his theory of memory and society, working through Bergson, Halbwachs, Elias, Bakhtin, and Bourdieu.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Multiple Social Categorization by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Surviving 9/11 by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Carlisle by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Object Relations, Work and the Self by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Caroline Islands by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Bodies for Sale by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Water Management and Agricultural Development by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Complaints, Controversies and Grievances in Medicine by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book The WTO by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Globalising Intellectual Property Rights by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Investigating Classroom Talk by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book The Changing Face of People Management in India by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book The Communicative Competence of Young Children by Jeffrey K. Olick
Cover of the book Information Economics by Jeffrey K. Olick
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