victim lies on the centre, not the witness. And we experienced those situations. many researchers there is an easy way and not that according to their present meaning. The Memory
must go back to Primo Levi to think the direct Studying under a
memory perspective
implies understanding
how that past still affects
our lives after having
passed through all that,
even until today. interesting to work with memory. An event is studied Studies Magazine includes interesting studies which
to check what is remembered from that event, how do not make reference to memories of repressive
did it happen, or what did not happen. This event or traumatic pasts related with political violence
is studied (a massacre) or it greatly increases the episodes. For instance, there is a very good article
number of studies on repression sites: it is studie d on how groups, different generations, remember
how site 1, 2 and 3 were recovered and who survived the same school in a town. It proves how memories
them, how did they meet with the neighbours, are linked to objects and materialities. Those who
and so on. However, they are very closed events studied in the 50s were linked to the school, and
themselves. The intention seems to be rebuilding those who came later were linked to different
or helping “not to forget”, without going beyond things. These links were related to the pedagogic
the directly involved actors, without any analytical offer of the time: for the oldest generations, it
history. What happened in the different moments, Therefore, there are several lines: one aimed to question bringing the event or the object to a was linked to the punishment place, the corner;
both at a practical level and regarding ideas and historicize the past through a historical sociology different level which might be meaningful in wider the younger generations remembered the orchard
subjectivities are subjected to studies. Recent history or an Ethnohistory, not only made by historians. terms. and the animals; while the youngest generations
obviously includes the study of memories. Another line is aimed to follow the analysis of the
witness is not there anymore while you are a
secondary witness. This is part of the problem, we
must start to think bearing in mind the memories.
LM: What do the recent history studies
contribute in this sense?
EJ: Those identified with the recent history study
overlap at a great extent with those focused on the
memory studies, since memory is part of the recent
It took a lot of time to legitimize the study of
memory works. In my opinion, the questions related
remembered the musical performances and the
LM: Which would be consequently the questions
we could pose today on memory linked issues?
murals. Through the same building, different
the contemporary period for the history discipline. to memory are so much tied to the victims of the For the most traditional sectors of history, those dictatorship that it is more difficult to deal with focused on the recent history move inside a field not memory issues in the longer term, which is precisely EJ: The field of studies on memories started 30 years memory field, this is the type of studies currently
so much different to the work of an anthropologist what ethnography does. Ludmila da Silva Catela ago. I speak in relation to the Western countries, proposed.
or a sociologist or a political scientist. We must speaks about short term memories and long term not only Latin America. It took many years after remember how difficult it was to accept the oral memories: there are long term memories passed the Shoah for the memory questions to come up. people from their place of origin where after
history and the usage of testimonies as sources in a on and therefore turned practically in structural Firstly they were linked to the trauma and the many years those displaced or their descendant
historical research of the recent past. dimensions. This can be observed at a local level, as testimony; the narrative capacity was at the centre can come back. For example, in relation with the
Ludmila, Kimberly Tehidon or Ponciano del Pino did. of this view, the narrative was of utmost importance. Armenian Genocide in Turkey, what happens to
of “recent” period was related to the periods of These researchers carried out studies historicizing The understanding and the meaning of the past those coming back to the places where maybe their
dictatorship, at the height of the violations. If you memories showing how those facts still have an was always narrated and the understanding of the grandparents were victims? Which objects do they
want to learn a bit more and interpret or make sense impact in the current everyday life. These are works trauma was more related to the semiotic inability to conserve, bringing them to the diaspora, coming
of the studied processes, it is necessary to take at a local level, and my question is if they are being speak or by means of silences or narrative gaps. The back? This proves that for different generations and
into account the previous period. In Argentine, you carried out at this moment. artistic expression was added to these researches groups different objects might turn into different
in a performative way. Through this view, it is not objects or the same but with a different meaning.
In addition to that, at first, the definition
cannot leave out the previous affiliations nor the
memory links were built. Through these materialities
it is possible to build the history of the school. In the
At a personal level, lately I am stating that I am
There are researchers working with displaced
political disputes. As for Chile, we must understand “bored of memory” or that I want to “quit memory”, about remembering, but about acting, and past is The neighbour living next to a ruin might have a
what the peaceful means to socialism really meant since I don’t like what it is being done. The memory integrated in the present intervention. Van Alphen different opinion than the one coming back with
and how did it fit within the context of the Cold War. issues have conquered the public space and the social makes this distinction and in my opinion is a valid the picture his grandfather took of that same place
During the Cold War period, as currently understood, sciences and humanities fields, however in a very and interesting one. Afterwards, it comes the rituals and with a story about it. This combination of
the international context was very important. unsatisfactory way; this topic is being trivialized. and commemorations, monuments and memorials. materialities and narratives offer a possibility to
Anything can be considered memory under a concept There are treated the questions on public memories escape from this kind of impasse in the study of
sides of the Franco Regime is still coming up. It was of common sense more than from an analytic and policies on memories. memories. This view might considerably enrich, for
a period spanning several decades which were not perspective. I witnessed this in a lot of tables in the studied and now they are. Under the analysis of the last congress Latin American Studies Association is linked to the integration of materiality. The not turn into a lineal concept, it stays as a “this
Franco Regime, the 70s in Argentine or the Cold (LASA) (Chicago, May 2014), where everything was proposal does not include starting from the narrative happened here” and the “duty of memory” must be
War during the 70s, you must work with memories; considered memory and everybody felt they could (though everything will end up with words), but included since it is more testimonial than analytical,
however, using memory as a source with the aim to present works with that word in the title. working with the integration of objects and ruins, which is dangerous.
In Spain, a huge amount of studies on different
rebuild it by means of oral sources from those who
Observing Memories
ISSUE 1
A more recent movement, newly arising,
example, the study of the sites, because if this does
what’s left from the past. Those rests are studied
On the other hand, in my opinion, among
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Observing Memories
ISSUE 1
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