Abstract
This chapter analyzes the important functions of historical memory in collective identity formation. Ethnic, national, or religious identities are built on historical myths that define who a group member is, what it means to be a group member, and typically, who the group’s enemies are. This chapter provides a few frameworks to understand how historical memory can serve as a constitutive, relational, and purposive content for group identity. Each of these types of identity content implies an alternate causal pathway between this collective identity and policy behaviors or practices. Understanding a group of people’s collective memory can help us to better understand their national interests and political actions.
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Wang, Z. (2018). Collective Memory and National Identity. In: Memory Politics, Identity and Conflict. Memory Politics and Transitional Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62621-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62621-5_2
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62620-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62621-5
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