Abstract
This chapter explores the dominant memory of orphanhood: the abused orphan. Edwards outlines the three socio-cultural contexts in which this memory and identity has been constructed. The first is the historical narratives of the orphan in real life and those presented as the truth in fiction, in literature for example. The second is the orphan of the ‘abuse inquiry narrative’ and what this had led to in terms of a creating a ‘memory habit’ (Plummer 2001). The final context is the museum and the role it has constructing the orphan from the identities given in the historical and inquiry narratives. ‘The Abused Orphan: Memory as legitimate and national heritage’ concludes by questioning the ambivalence of identity practices, suggesting that identity, is both a social and individual process.
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Edwards, D. (2017). The Abused Orphan: Memory as Legitimate and National Heritage. In: Cultural, Autobiographical and Absent Memories of Orphanhood. Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64039-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64039-6_2
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