word
Collective Memory
koh-LEK-tiv MEM-uh-ree
/kəˈlɛktɪv ˈmɛməriː/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
collectivememory
Dictionary meaning
The shared pool of knowledge, information, and narratives about the past held by a social group, transmitted through culture, ritual, and institutions
History and origin
Concept developed by Maurice Halbwachs in the 1920s
Examples
- National holidays serve as rituals that reinforce collective memory of founding events.
- Collective memory can be contested: different communities may remember the same historical event very differently.
Synonyms: social memory, cultural memory
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