Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definitions of terms
3. Collective memory assists economic development
4. Promoting identity
5. Acting as educational medium
6. Maintaining the multifunctional society
7. Criticism is for improvement
8. Conclusion
Annexes
1. Image reference
2. Book reference
Introduction
“Memories reveal the culture, history and time of the city.” (Aldo Rossi, 1982). The demolishment of Star Ferry Pier and Queen’s Pier in 2006 and 2007 has gathered a raising awareness on the discussion of collective memory with urban development in Hong Kong. The incident even caused the protest, hunger strike and confrontation of protestors against police. After that, the government identified collective memory as an importance consideration in heritage protection and conservation. “It is the value of history, which symbolizes the memories of the citizens. These memories form people’s perception to a city.” (Aldo Rossi, 1982).
Due to the public awareness on heritage conservation, it notifies the need to continue our cultural significance to the next generation. This increases the discussion of how to conserve and revitalize the historic buildings. However, under the rapid increase of human population and high-speed urban development, the demanding of land use is becoming crucial in the society. People are suffering from high property prices. This leads to the demolishment or destruction of historic buildings, which sparkles the oppositions from conservation parties and local residents. From incidents, for example, the removal of Star Ferry Pier and the revitalization of Blue House, their protests and confrontations have delayed and suspended the development policies, which have affected the ec...
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...m and Cultural Identity Chinese Adolescents in Britain and Hong Kong: Identity and aspirations: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Lowenthal, D., 1985, The Past of a Foreign Country, New York: Cambridge University Press.
Halbwachs, M, 1992, On Collective Memory (L.A. Coser, Trans.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Pennebaker, J.W., & Banasik, a.E.L. (Eds.) (1997). On the Creation and Maintenance of Collective Memories: History as Social Psychology, United States of America: Lawrence Erlbam Associates.
Louis I. Kahn, 1985, John Lobell, Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn, Boston: Shambhala Publications, pp.44.
Aldo Rossi, 1982, The Architecture of the City, London: The MIT Press, pp.130
Hong Kong Government, 2007, CE’s letter to Hong Kong, Available at [Accessed 5 January]
In chapter one of Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer discusses memory and persuades the reader of its importance. Foer’s primary claim is that memory is essential. Joshua Foer uses a variety of different voicing techniques to create intimate distance. He also uses a variety of analytical and stylistic techniques to emphasize the importance of his claim and to persuade the reader. He supports his argument by discussing the impact of memory on daily life, the positive effects of improving one’s memory, and the incomplete nature of our collective memory as a society without external resources.
Repressed memories is a topic that has been an ongoing dispute among some, however ac...
Ferguson, M. (1994). A lot f memory an interview with Jamaica Kincaid. Kenyon Review, 163-188.
Collective memory is commonly defined as “shared individual memories” but in the source Collective Memory from a Psychological Perspective, it is better defined as “publicly available symbols maintained by society” (Coman et al.). The article went on to explain how collective memory differs from an individual memory in the sense that “an individual restructures the world” so that one can better remember, whereas in collective memory, the memory is restructured by society. In this case, the photograph from atop Mount Suribachi is most definitely a symbol that has been passed on from person to person, family to family, newspaper to newspaper since the day it was taken. It was printed in papers all over country, used as a means of gathering funds
In ¨Hope, Despair, and Memory¨ a lecture by Elie Wiesel, Wiesel talks about a few significant memories. He is a holocaust survivor, he wrote this speech and won a Nobel Peace prize. He takes his readers back in time by using imagery. Some know, memory is a powerful tool, Wiesel uses this tool in this text. As you continue to read, think of where you would be without memory.
...a journey of discovery/rediscovery of what the Western world comes to mean, while at the same time, negotiating the redefinition of selfhood and national identity of Hong Kong. The will to search for a reconciliation with the West in these films is certainly deeply embedded in Hong Kong’s search for its own identity in the post-colonial era. After its return to its Chinese motherland, Hong Kong consequently takes up the important position as the bridge between China and the West. Many recognize that its success to find its identity as part of China in the future depends on its ability to come to terms with its colonial past. Indeed, as we have seen, both films positively insist on the possibility of fulfilling such an aspiration. The process is not a comfortable one, and it is often one of pain and risks. Yet the films assure that it is also one of promise and hope.
In addition to sorrow and sympathy, with memories one can also obtain an immense amount of knowledge and wisdom. With certain memories of loss and fail, one can prevent the mishaps that might occur in the future. For example, when the ...
The tension between the impersonal detachment of the lecture’s atmosphere and the terminology in the epigraph is one that operates through much of Ondaatje’s work. That tension is in the text that holds together two opposing forces — personal, lived memory, and cultural memory. Susan Sontag, in her recent book Regarding the Pain of Others, makes the somewhat contentious claim that ‘there is no such thing as collective memory … all memory is individual, unreproducible — it dies with each person.
There are several themes that are brought up in this book. However, I will focus on one, the relationship between pain and pleasure. In our world it is often said you must have one to fully appreciate the other. One cannot enjoy the pleasures in life if one does not have a memory bank of the despair life can throw at you. The community has realized the importance of memory in one aspect that it knows memory is important in order to not make the same mistakes twice. And in order to fulfill that it made one person responsible for keeping the communities collective memories whether they were pleasurable or painful.
Primo Levi, in The Drowned and the Saved, expresses theories of memory. My objective is to prove that Primo Levi’s theories of memory being transitive and selective are correct. I will do this by examining and critiquing not only Levi’s perspective on memory, but also those of other philosophers and psychoanalysts whose work explored the subject.
Atkinson, R.C. & Shiffrin, R.M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control process.
Memories to some are their most treasured prizes, able to evoke feelings of euphoria, joy, nostalgia of the grandest depth. Memories to others are bearers of dread, despair, and infinitely running takes of horror, it is within this spectrum of human experience that my most vivid memories dwell.
Memory is the tool we use to learn and think. We all use memory in our everyday lives. Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences. We all reassure ourselves that our memories are accurate and precise. Many people believe that they would be able to remember anything from the event and the different features of the situation. Yet, people don’t realize the fact that the more you think about a situation the more likely the story will change. Our memories are not a camcorder or a camera. Our memory tends to be very selective and reconstructive.
Human beings do not have the ability to travel in time; therefore the only way to detach themselves from the present is through their mental world, where they can access past recollections as well as prospective expectations. The only memory system allowing individuals to mentally time travel is episodic memory. Bartlett (1932) proposed the idea that memory is not an actual reproduction of the past, but a constructive process in which distinct pieces of information from various sources are drawn together. Therefore episodic memory does not just hold and retrieve exact replicas of past experiences but rather holds detailed distinctive informations which allow individuals to recollect past events.
The “Communicative and Cultural Memory” conference hosted in Brazil on May 15, 2013 by Aleida and Jan Assmann addresses the influence of memory on a culture and nation. Jan Assmann is a Religious and Cultural Theory Honorary Professor at the University of Konstanz with a Dr. honoris causa in Theology from the University of Munster. Aleida Assmann is an English and Comparative Literature Professor at the University of Konstanz with a Ph.D in English Literature and Egyptology from University of Heidelberg and University of Tubingen, respectively. Jan addressed how cultural memory can mold identities whereas Aleida explained how communicative memory can shape a nation. Either way, the Assmanns both agree memory is a powerful tool that affects