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WHITEHEAD, A. Memory. London/New York: Routledge, 20 (Cap. 4.2 Pierre Nora and ‘the sites of memory’) "took out the inde cad with Mere Mac's neon and ‘rue tha name a hing pason woud row be abo ae the dead tans place By a vig peso, | mea: a foe cops. Bevery thing reesary. | careful erased his fei rare, Haima, ne his fat mame, Mure ~ linea ienty | Pid the vecanglt Index carn the psf my hard had Became blank and white ‘nce re efor anche ob tenon tee det, (Semprin 9574) If Semis job wihin the camp wa to eal sgn tha Hllbwachs dnd existe, his memoir seks to revere tie proce and inseibe Halbwacht name and memory. Againse the logic of Safnce substitution, which deins che camp poner even ar he ht died, Sempra asters in his meme the unique sagult= lay of his friend and wacker, and he sees 0 provide Halbwachs tha fixing memoral,eosioeming the blank, white suace of vil frgeting in ehe carly tied and lovingly insert + | Bowes oftirmme Halboatt, Mauee 3. | Pierre wors ano THe ‘sits oF MemonY® v0 | ads igh scan vue 7h Vy Syme, Heney Rous * | outine's nate of porr'er Hench tana! memory ta ee | raring) tae fas ste been frquenty ced and Tel | Aconting co Rouno, he eaeva of etergh poled ons «© | infance mein afer the woe impeed th mal wor x4] ouning. The 1950 magus ped of fogeingy a | Shih the memoria fhe Ocupcn and of Vichy Swe © | "presedia voor of mgt cha le the het of he im | nebo oa fom ys 97 te set of Vy bce less conve a The Fench ppety fades meres ef he ww Es he aid of wat eae o be w dominant myths By 140 COWLEENVE MEMORY resistant mean fst,» process tha aught to mini the Importance of te iy vexime ae impact on French sec, ining As mest negative spe second the cnaion of 3% hie of memory the Resta’ whose sgifiance anecended tyr the sum of te scne purse smal group fpr pat sins who di th actual Ping: and hr, he ereaton of tis Reitae’ wth te rton 4 hala carats ete of the Coulis rth (Rous 1991; emphasis) ‘There was, in hase yeas failure oars hea yes’ of he Vichy regime under Geiman occupation (1940-44). The more shameful aspects of Vichy, and patculaly ee collaboration with the Germans in rounding up aed deporting 75,000 Jews fom French soil, beame « eaboo mbjecr in French public dco, From the eatly 1970s 0 however, ia what Rostn designates a recur ofthe represed, Viehy retred to public consiouseest (G91: 10) tn pacar, sexes of highly publicize! legal als brnghe Vichy back so public arention, Beginning wih the 1987 tial of Kaus Barbe,» Nan cronry notocout fo hi sole in persecuting Jews in Lyon, and culminating with the ial lof Maurice Papen io 1997, « highly placed French buscar ‘who hal bee in charge of che ruadup of Jews in Borden Films also began 10 ade thesesensive copies, Micel Opi ‘Th Sermo and th Py (1971) reminded the Pench about Vichy ‘ot: Semitiam ad collaboration, Claude Lanemann’s Shae (1985) tlso made a coasidenble impact on French audiences, Even if Lansmann was slmose exclusively concerned with the perscstion ofthe Jews ia eaters Europe, his fl contributed to sr0¥ing awareness in Faance of Jewish safecing andthe Holocaust Alcough Rous’ use of paychomalyic concep to describe Collective process is undaubredly problemi, hi overl at- tie it at Nancy Wood has absent, ‘urinating’ (1999: 222) His ehioacion of « national identity css in Pance has o- ances beyond Vichy, aad allt o mind other eopice tat the French soughe unsuceslly to put behiod them, in parclar the iin war in Indo-China and Algein and che toftute that ‘was prctved by the each amy i Alger coWLECTVE MEMORY 141 ‘The crisis of French nation identity outlined by Rousso foxned at important background to Pere Now's ambsious his torial projet Lar Lie de mime (1984-92; transite’ into English at Rass of Mono, 1996-98). For Non te nation of luni nacional story had Become problematic if or impos Sle, in France doe eo che pliticzaten of memory. His multi= Tome edited project therfoe sought « new way t0 ariulace Fistor, which focus lees on specie events chan en the ways in ‘which they had been incerpreted by, or divided ne, competing {plese of politi infuence. Nore theefoe aed che ration of Calleive memary, as Lawrence D. Ketaman has point out tte the metamorphoses chat French memory ha(d) undergone in mcene cine its awe avay fom the single, nia fame ‘wore of the nation 19 smaller coniguraions or entities ‘Ahough Noct therefore seems to echo albwachs emphasis on ‘more intimate memory commie, Ketzman agus chat his focus emus fly etched to ee nation 0 hae ee memorial proces tctates a cenewed sense of ational seiconsiousnes! (1996: x). For Wood, 00, Nontsrelstion#o Halbwach is more empl chan it tly appear. Noms work on French collec- five memory represents «adil reworking" of Halbwachs, and Reals of Moor comprises “ohn ls than radial upheaval inthe may the phenomenon of “ellective memory” can hence- feeh be conceived (1999: 17), Tn “Berween Memory and Hise’ his intoduction che fise lame of Rams of Mair, Not refs Halbwachs in sine uishing beeween memory and fustry. Like Halbuachs, be Asics memory at ‘embosid in ving sciever, wile history is ‘the rconstruction of what iso longer Not als, flowing Halbvechs contess memory a8 mull’ and ‘plural wih the ‘unary nature of history (RM I 3). Achough be nity preseas Ins projec cote ced to Halbwachy work, Nove soon departs fom his influence however. The induction goct oa outline & hoy of memocy in three ditnee phase of pesods the ‘pre= modern, which repented ane of atu spontaneous, an tnslfcoscaus memory paities he meder, which coincided twth the ie of the nation wate and in which a historical con ‘Gioumess Began 0 prevail one 8 memodal one; ane the cusrent 142 couse Mewone poscmodeen' age of media cle, in which reprsenains of the pst emerge and are conse athe rapids ate pce ‘media consumption itll. The araive of memory that Noes laborats i implicitly ne of decline and lass, in whch eee was 2 ll fom grace’ during the couse ofthe ninezeen ceneay, a9 fxpulsion Gom + realm of ineiive memory chae canner ow be recovered. Ketaman eighty nett tha, in acing sch eee Cory, Noms project sepreets the epmpeomaclogy of «ceaia fom of caltual melancholia (1996: His work imbued wich the sense chit Something essential has been lse fom French ‘tonal values ad calese, something thar in imcimatly 00 Cael fr him with the cnappearince ofthe pesatry andthe "hythms of eral le. Responding eo the sense of rational eis ‘utined above, Nora che ras ceteacing inca a nage Hea zation of the pas, and eating to binary #n opposition between 4 living memory tadcon, which has now vanished, and he ‘shuerct racionalztions of iar tha tem ‘Now's distinction beeweeo memoey and history notably aio 4 dicinction beeween incorpontion and inscripeon. In debaing ‘rue memory, the uaseleonscaus memory practices and crac ‘ions that haw lage Bee lest, Noes associates them parsley with the body; cay comprise ‘geeare and habits, unspoken craft trudicons, inmate physical kiawledge, ingrained emiicences, nd spontaneous relies In contast, modern memory, ans formed by its pusage though history, is amcor with writing Teds che memory ofthe archiva tles on the vliy of the image’ (RAT: 8). For Halbwach, at I noted above, ellie ‘memory cold be eusmiced shtough eicer inset’ ot incor ported pacts; fr Nor, however hee is «notable suspicion ff wrting, which i asscited exclusively with memory eae hat been tinted by history. For Nom, inscription is necessary because memory is 90 longer experienced from within i i therefore felane upon an exerol prop oa rangle reminder. For this reason, the achive has become» contemporary abeestion, which has prlifeneed beyond ove conta: we step co preserve ot ony al ofthe past but all of ehe present at well (RAI E: 8) Unable co determine what of te present might be worth peter ing, we ‘eain om desroying anything and put evening COLEETVE MEMORY 143 achive iste However, hit indiscriminate pati leds oot {© impaoed.romenbeng, bot exer toa “hypercophy of ‘memory’ (RAC. 9}. The augue that Nom advances here Eilat sous fom Caper we Rico potest 3 ely ee tone of Plato's Phd’ 20% 403). te noe simply eh inssptin acts fr Nor san exert supreme nd is 60 tet of ttre Additionally, Now schoer Pts's season thr wong represents pon ste tans red. The acne i scodingly soorated for Now a0e with emembenng bat ‘i ging i gong mln he hn wear ae Thlegacing she saponaly for temerbeting cing out pened the sake dep sed sin RM 8). ‘Non’ ford min ries of mena rie agsna the backdop of the ise peso memory eh Oui Nec solely a mar f opogeepieal place, alchough iter of reory ca ceria tke eh form, shes repaet as Ricoer ‘Spits ety in Plato Pla, wb oc hivon can daw suppor fr their eweydaywansons (2004, 408) Linn sk meas are ascatel Tor Nor not with tremor but with kaon indeed tey exit only Bese tere Seno longer soy miles mein, sites in which memory 8 ‘el pre of evenly expec. Lis de mini chs ong a ‘he sens of rupee and ls he Nor view ar corset f the Inoder; itn! of dling trong out metoi, we 0 one ‘oath, ding deliv wil remeber. acing Sita of spontnenos surry, we rete achive, mack at ‘ens ognize cbs, prone espe, od authentste ‘Bure bees ich thing no longer happen st «mater of {ua Is srt en hen Nor Cel pasos he tr de mine ae sbeebs a fomedine colctive memocy they epee he sitalfa sale ece, fing incon of te serio dence wo ML) ‘cos te pests» wie, however, Now diplays » nore Secale in hit apicach, which complexes hs opening SSpomee, and thers co undermine sod edo she nave of destin ha he as ell enabled in the econdIalment of Lat Lie demi, which was cosilad Le Nation (1986), Noe cared he tle layed by 14g CoUcTWE MEMORY memory ia the consercton of the Pench nation, snd. identifed the key ‘sites of memory’ tha provided a sense of local cohesion od Hlndiey With the chird and final insalment, La Far (1992), Nota semed t shi his aersion co the his clipe of France ar + memory-nation. He gue char over the lant ‘engy eas, France hat wienesed the deline of national me tes and a! corespooding incest in ‘prtsimonial sites of ‘memory, more fragmented and pasin memory pisces which ‘epreseat local exer ehan rational lapis and claims of ale {iaee, Presmonial mem, Nera explained in his concluding Ss, came fom che grat roots, fom che proviney and it ‘connote anything that rade people Fel that they root in puriulr place. Embedded in the regional and the particule, {his foom of memory mas paricuaely focused on rations chat ‘ad been passed down from generation to generation It coo. up residence among frgoren cusiome end ancient ceciques, food local wines, songs and alec’ (RM IL: 625). However tlehough Nora seems to be foouing hereon he incresing put aly and democratization of caleive memory proce, iti fotable chat the nation remuins che primary refeence point foe his work, Noealgic for Frances low of a Sem focing i the wold, Non’ “uadedlying aim, argues Peery Anderon, “was the reson of 2 sone in wich the divions and diced of reach society would mele away in the fond cil of poetmoder remembrance (2004: 10) Andasa'setique brings f lighe the fxent 0 which Nor, in idenejing tore symbols and sitals ‘ha ind che nation topeher, has omitted fom his aredy more uncomfortable aspects of the French ational pat. Pechaps unsurprisingly, eeeone, Nom’ projce Became co-opted by the ‘very forces that i see out co stad, becoming, even belo twas Complete, a schlaly liar de mre in ics own ight. As Nota pines in his conchading essay: "no soner wa the expesion i 1d dire cote chan whae was forged «toe or maining ital distance became dhe insrument of communiston pat ‘excllence (RM Il: 609) or Anderson, Nos project may have been more inserctive in producing »cital Misery of Pench collecive memory if t Ind focused on areas of oil conic and division, and comprised couserve Menon 45 boca catalogue of lise de méwie bu of linc dbl ‘ses of Fegecing. Censily, a Anderson goes on to demenstate survey of Non own ‘sites of forgetting’, he gaps and absences in his project, provides the bass fo a focused and incisive crtque of Fis Wark, at helps co dena he key areas tat he has expresly ‘oided because of thee potentially divisive elec, Tony Ju his ‘nn acencon tothe ite’ absence from Realms of Mowry of "Napoleon Boaapue or his nephew Lous Napoleon, or even “ihe polcalendivion of lopation hat they Bequeathed coche ‘ation’ In seeking fo acoune for chisomision, Jude condends chit, Cerainly in the case of Louis Napleon, Now's sincerest may ‘lect 'sbroaer lc of concern with towns, Own planning ae Uubanisn in genenl: a perhaps excesive care co record Frances love aie wit peta and ts land (1998: 34). For Anderson, however, dhe sigiicance af Now's eglect of Napoleon lies ele ‘ther; namely, in his concern to overlook the ene imperial Tseary of the county, from the Napoleonic conquess,ehrouph the plunder af Alger the July Monarchy, 0 ee seizure of Indochina in ehe Second Enpite and the ast Afcan booty ofthe ‘Third Republic. Anderson regaris Nor silence on his issue soc only a surpiing inthe context of ie courageous critique of the Algersn war in his youth, but ss a a signscane failing of the projet "What ce the fae mie hae fal vo inclede Dien Bien Phu?” [2004 10) Tn addition wo Now's silence on imperil hisory, Jude also dws attention is consent tendency to eae Catholic Chrtianicy ‘asthe esence of mot Frenchoess. Non'soveremphass on Catolicsm resulsina relative eglece of French Protestant history, 50 tht, as Jue remarks, "Cabere is no eney in chase pages fr che masa of Proves ‘on Se Barholomen’s Day, 1372 ~ 2 French "memory dae” if ever ‘here was one’ (1998: 56). This lence i pticulaly srking as Andersen observes, when Se assnt the remarks ofthe bison Ernest Renan, writing st the end of she mineeemth century, ho pointed gue tha a sation is defined a much by wai has for [octen at by wher it choos eo remember. Renans example of ‘ional forgeting was preciely the Pench slaughter of the Proestans ia the seenth century, which provokes Anderon 10 rematch this if caution one might have thoughe ll the 148. couterve MeNoee more dif 0 ignore cetyl (2004: 10) For Ades,

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