Memory Studies - A short note

 

Memory Studies - What it is or What it entails? It is a research field that explores both personal and collective memory. The possibility of an ‘entanglement’ of both these versions is bound to occur especially when we examine historical events like the Holocaust and the Partition of 1947. Memory studies is an interdisciplinary area of study. It borrows ideas and concepts from Sociology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Psychology, Architecture, Cognitive Sciences, Archaeology, History, Literature, etc. Memory is not just about remembering, it also deals with forgetting or erasures. Sometimes forgetting is induced by external forces like the State or it can be internal with the individual deciding not to remember certain traumatic and uneasy ones. Memory studies always operate in three levels - Personal, Collective, and Official. All these three interact with each other. Today, Memory Studies also explores the way technology enables remembering and forgetting. This is done in the context of current trend of ‘excessively commemorating personal events’ in the form of photographs (selfies), vlogs via social media platforms. The key areas in technology-driven memory studies are Digital Memory and Prosthetic memory.