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Collective Recollections: Approaches to Memory in Sociology

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Whites Recall the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham

Part of the book series: Cultural Sociology ((CULTSOC))

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Abstract

This chapter introduces the reader to the literature on collective memory, focusing on the study of difficult pasts. The chapter discusses the two lines of sociological analysis. The first emphasizes the role of memory entrepreneurs in designing memorials and commemorations that shape the recollections of the public. The second focuses on what individuals remember from that past and finds that events occurring in one’s youth are typically most memorable. The chapter proposes to bring together these two prominent lines of inquiry and to address how white youth on in the midst of Civil Rights activities in Birmingham reconstructed their autobiographical memories in light of a difficult past. The chapter overviews important strategies for this analysis including Halbwachs’ work on memory, recent literature on commemorations, Swidler’s conceptualization of culture, and the cultural theory of trauma.

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  1. Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA

    Sandra K Gill

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Gill, S.K. (2017). Collective Recollections: Approaches to Memory in Sociology. In: Whites Recall the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. Cultural Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47136-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47136-5_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47135-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47136-5

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