Between the Canon and the Archive: On the Systematization and Classification of Memorial Sites Cover Image

Między kanonem a archiwum — o systematyzacji i klasyfikacji miejsc pamięci
Between the Canon and the Archive: On the Systematization and Classification of Memorial Sites

Author(s): Krzysztof Malicki
Subject(s): Museology & Heritage Studies, Archiving, Sociology, Politics of History/Memory
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: collective memory; memorial sites; storage and functional memory; canon; archive;

Summary/Abstract: The final element in acommemoration process is often considered to be a memorial plaque, monument, or museum. However, what precedes the creation of these material forms, or what happens to their message after they disappear or are transferred to the periphery of public interest, is often the most interesting for a researcher. The purpose of this article is to systematize and classify different forms of memorial sites by treating them as material and imaginary historical phenomena. By referring to the concept of functional and storage memory, as well as to Aleida Assman’s concepts of the canon and the archive, the article presents the stages in the production of memorial sites: from the first idea, through creation, to the moment when they cease to existor are obliterated from the collective consciousness.

  • Issue Year: 64/2020
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 98-114
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish