Collective memory and the social creation of identities: Linking the past with the present and future

The interdisciplinary concept of collective memory emerged within the Social Sciences and Humanities. Going back to the theories of French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, the attribute "collective" that precedes the noun "memory" implies that the process of remembering unfolds within societies. Individuals and collectives, therefore, remember in present social frames. Moreover, through remembering, they each establish a continuity between the past, present, and future. This process, in turn, shapes their identities, behavior, attitudes, and choice. In its collective form, memory thus is lifted out of the minds and brains of individuals and instead is socially generated in societal frameworks. With this, collective memory is no more only about the past but instead becomes about the present and future. As a result, memory is rendered highly constructed, political, and contested.