Jan Assmann (1938–2024) was a seminal scholar who transformed memory studies through his concept of cultural memory, developed with Aleida Assmann. He distinguished between communicative memory—short-term, everyday interactions lasting about 80–100 years—and cultural memory, which is long-term, institutionalised, and preserved through texts, rituals, and monuments. Assmann argued that cultural memory is anchored in symbolic forms such as myths and traditions, which sustain collective identity across generations. The article “Communicative Remembering: Revisiting a Basic Mnemonic Concept” engages with the theory of Jan Assmann by examining his influential distinction between communicative memory and cultural memory. Assmann defines communicative memory as every day, informal remembering based on lived experiences shared through interaction, typically spanning a few generations, while cultural memory refers to more formalised, institutionalised forms preserved through texts, rituals, and symbols over long periods. The authors acknowledge the importance of this framework but argue that the distinction is too rigid to capture how memory works in practice. They show that communicative and cultural memory are deeply interconnected and often overlap, especially in mediated and digital contexts. Rather than treating them as separate categories, the article proposes understanding memory as a flexible set of “modes of remembering,” shaped by communication, social interaction, and media environments. In this view, Assmann’s model is useful as an analytical starting point, but real-world remembering is dynamic, hybrid, and constantly evolving.
Reference
Pentzold C, Lohmeier C, Birkner T. Communicative remembering: Revisiting a basic mnemonic concept. Memory, Mind & Media. 2023;2:e9. doi:10.1017/mem.2023.7
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