Culture -- Memory the Authors of Each

¶ … Culture -- Memory

The authors of each of the five articles to be referenced in this paper center around issues of collective memory. Some authors share similar views regarding the construction and transformation of memory. Other authors focus upon sustaining memory and changes in collective memory over time. The paper will clearly state the main points or themes of each article, as well as link the points and themes across articles.

Levy & Sznaider (2001) focus upon the event of the Holocaust, as they are of German, Israeli, and American descent, this issue is particularly keen for them. Their points are not so much arguing the existence of the Holocaust, as many writers and thinkers across genre still argue whether or not the Holocaust actually happened. Levy & Sznaider focus centrally upon the transformation of memory, specifically regarding the Holocausts, in a global age. They contend that collective memory is more likely to be transformed rather than erased. A central term for this excerpt that they come up with is "cosmopolitan memory, a memory transcending ethnic and national boundaries." (Levy & Sznaider, 2001,-Page 465) They argue that the nature of memory in the global age is cosmopolitan whereas in prior periods of world history, memory was singular or isolated to a specific culture, ethnicity, or physicality. Toward the conclusion of their piece, they draw interesting parallels between facets of ancient and older cultures and trends in global culture. They posit that cosmopolitan memory is indigenous of what they call Second Modernity, and the shift in remembering "corresponds to the globalized horizon of experiences" of the 21st century global age. (Levy & Sznaider, 2001,-Page 467)

Trioullot writes about collectivity in general. He writes of aspects of culture, including memory that are collective, such as collective apologies and collective subjects. (Trioullot, 2001,-Page 459) This is yet another author concerned with the construction, preservation, and production of memory (and subjecthood) in a globalized age. This similarity should alert readers that the affects of globalization are more than just social, economic, and political. The ramifications of the digital technology/media revolution extend into areas of philosophy, experience, and other social scientific disciplines.

Dixon's piece is related to the piece by Levy & Sznaider's in that her work references a sort of holocaust performed upon the Armenians by the Turkish. (2010) Her writing is a kind of example of the theories of Trioullot, Levy, & Sznaider at play in real life. Dixon describes the cosmopolitan memory of the Armenian genocide by the Turks as part of the strategy to shift toward a more democratic nation in Turkey. (Dixon, 2010,-Page 468) She brings to light, both directly and indirectly how memory is used as part of military and political strategies of those with the power and the means to reshape and represent historical events. Dixon specifically notes the original narrative, which is what actually happened (an Armenian genocide by the Turks), and what the modified narrative became, as well as the strategies of dissemination and assimilation of the new official narrative, which essentially makes claim that the Armenian genocide did not happen and if it did, the Armenians committed heinous, yet documented acts for which they deserved such treatment. The cosmopolitan memory of the Armenian genocide offers no collective apology and redefines Armenians as subjects within Turkish history and Turkish culture.