The Politics of Historical Memory and Commemoration in Africa
The Politics of Historical Memory and Commemoration in Africa

Author: Cassandra Mark-Thiesen

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2021-12-06

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 3110655314

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Essays in Memory of Jan-Georg Deutsch The volume observes some of the principles that drove Prof. Jan-Georg Deutsch's research: highlighting present-day politics for the way they shape historical remembrance, learning from people on the ground through fieldwork and oral history, and bringing various parts of the African continent into discussion with one another. From Cape Town to Charlottesville, many societies are grappling with historical consciousness and the production of public memory. In particular, how and why societies remember and forget, what should serve as symbols of collective memory, and whether there exists space for multiple memory cultures are questions being vigorously debated once again. These discussions present particular challenges not only to official memory bound to ideological constructions of nationhood but also to the teaching of history and its links to social justice movements. The volume re-centres Africa and African history in memory studies, with each chapter drawing parallels to comparable cases in Africa and the world. An underlying assumption is that what can be learned from the politics of historical memory in Africa will have relevance for contemporary politics globally and for understanding how memories can be mobilised for political ends.

Historical Memory in Africa
Historical Memory in Africa

Author: Mamadou Diawara

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2010-06-01

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1845458370

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A vast amount of literature—both scholarly and popular—now exists on the subject of historical memory, but there is remarkably little available that is written from an African perspective. This volume explores the inner dynamics of memory in all its variations, from its most destructive and divisive impact to its remarkable potential to heal and reconcile. It addresses issues on both the conceptual and the pragmatic level and its theoretical observations and reflections are informed by first-hand experiences and comparative reflections from a German, Indian, and Korean perspective. A new insight is the importance of the future dimension of memory and hence the need to develop the ability to ‘remember with the future in mind’. Historical memory in an African context provides a rich kaleidoscope of the diverse experiences and perspectives—and yet there are recurring themes and similar conclusions, connecting it to a global dialogue to which it has much to contribute, but from which it also has much to receive.

Connections Remembered, the African Origins of Humanity and Civilization
Connections Remembered, the African Origins of Humanity and Civilization

Author: Lindiwe Lester

Publisher:

Published: 2020-05-20

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9781734482645

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The central theme of Connections Remembered is the ancient African origins of humanity and civilization, framed around the impact of these historical hallmarks on healthy Black identity development. It is an easy-to-read, yet scientifically validated account of the remarkable accomplishments of ancient Africa and her people. This new edition emphasizes the inextricable linkage between Black self-concept and what Black people are taught through the Eurocentric curricula's expression of African Americans' historical roots. It debunks the flawed and psychically devastating view that Black people's beginnings were as dehumanized plantation slaves. It is written for adults and is concerned with augmenting the education of Black children in American schools especially during their identity-shaping formative years. The book reconnects African and African American history as one continuous narrative, not two disconnected stories; this is key to overcoming our fragmented inner selves and restoring healthy communities. Maps, charts, suggested activities and thought starters are included in each of the eight sections to better engage with the content.

Negotiating the Past
Negotiating the Past

Author: Sarah Nuttall

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13:

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Nations as well as individuals are in many ways the sum of their memories, which are shaped by perception as much as by events. This collection of essays by South African academics looks at the ways the country is dealing with its past, a complex mixture of colonialism, slavery, apartheid,struggle, and guilt. The emphasis is on how that past is being perceived and moulded in the post-apartheid era.

History After Apartheid
History After Apartheid

Author: Annie E. Coombes

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 2003-11-24

Total Pages: 396

ISBN-13: 9780822330721

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DIVHow should post-apartheid South Africa present its history - in museums, monuments, and parks./div

History Making and Present Day Politics
History Making and Present Day Politics

Author: Hans Erik Stolten

Publisher: Nordic Africa Institute

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13:

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In this collection, some of South Africa's most distinguished historians and social scientists present their views on the importance of history and heritage for the transformation of the South African society. Although popular use of history helped remove apartheid, the study of history lost status during the transition process. Some of the reasons for this, like the nature of the negotiated revolution, social demobilization, and individualization, are analyzed in this book. The combination of scholarly work with an active role in changing society has been a central concern in South African history writing. This book warns against the danger of history being caught between reconciliation, commercialization, and political correctness. Some of the articles critically examine the role of historians in ideological debates on gender, African agency, Afrikaner anti-communism, early South African socialism, and the role of the business world during late apartheid. Other contributions explore continuing controversies on the politics of public history in post-apartheid South Africa, describe the implementation of new policies for history education, or investigate the use of applied history in the land restitution process and in the TRC. The authors also examine a range of new government and private initiatives in the practical use of history, including the establishment of new historical entertainment parks and the conversion of museums and heritage sites. For readers interested in nation building processes and identity politics, this book provides valuable insight.

History, Memory and Public Life
History, Memory and Public Life

Author: Anna Maerker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-07-06

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1351055569

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History, Memory and Public Life introduces readers to key themes in the study of historical memory and its significance by considering the role of historical expertise and understanding in contemporary public reflection on the past. Divided into two parts, the book addresses both the theoretical and applied aspects of historical memory studies. ‘Approaches to history and memory‘ introduces key methodological and theoretical issues within the field, such as postcolonialism, sites of memory, myths of national origins, and questions raised by memorialisation and museum presentation. ‘Difficult pasts‘ looks at history and memory in practice through a range of case studies on contested, complex or traumatic memories, including the Northern Ireland Troubles, post-apartheid South Africa and the Holocaust. Examining the intersection between history and memory from a wide range of perspectives, and supported by guidance on further reading and online resources, this book is ideal for students of history as well as those working within the broad interdisciplinary field of memory studies.

African History: A Very Short Introduction
African History: A Very Short Introduction

Author: John Parker

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2007-03-22

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 0192802488

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Intended for those interested in the African continent and the diversity of human history, this work looks at Africa's past and reflects on the changing ways it has been imagined and represented. It illustrates key themes in modern thinking about Africa's history with a range of historical examples.

African Cultures, Memory and Space
African Cultures, Memory and Space

Author: Munyaradzi Mawere

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2014-07-17

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 9956792152

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African Cultures, Memory and Space is an impeccable volume that powerfully grapples with a gamut of cultural heritage issues, challenges and problems from a vista of inter- and multi-disciplinary approach. The book, which is designed as a foundational text to the study of culture in ever-changing environments, makes an important argument that the dynamism of culture in highly globalised societies such as that of Zimbabwe can be studied from any perspective, but most importantly through careful examination of cultural elements such as memory, oral history and space, among others. While the book makes special reference to Zimbabwe, it profoundly and audaciously dissect and cut across different geographical and cultural spaces through its penetrating interrogation and scrutiny of different issues commonplace in many African contexts and even beyond. The book, written by scholars from different backgrounds and orientations, should appeal to scholars, researchers and students from various disciplines which include but not limited to Cultural Heritage Studies, Policy Studies, Social-Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, Development Studies and African Studies.