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Name: Cheng Lok Yan UID: 3035054414 What is the relationship between memory and history? Illustrate your answer with reference to personal memory, collective memory, or both.
W HY CHOOSING THE QUESTION ? The discussion of memory and history, though vague, contains huge importance in the study of history and arts.
A PPROACH To prevent the contentions from falling apart and disorganization, I will enlist a number of questions and areas of discussion, ranging from those of foundational and understanding level (e.g. the function of memory in making history), to more in-depth and academic aspect (e.g. a historians role in assessing memories/ should there be an equilibrium of subjectivity and objectivity when assessing memories in the study of history, and how should it be balanced). In answering and inquiring these questions, case studies of major world historical events in 19th-20th century and everyday history will be addressed as examples. Case studies are as follow: WWI: warfare and battlefield Hiroshima bombings The issue of comfort women during Japanese invasion Tiananmen Incident Hong Kong in 1970s Tangshan Earthquake in 1976 History and corresponding memories lying under different political systems and ideologies: Communist China and Cultural Revolution Totalitarian regimes in 1930s (i.e. Nazi Germany) Holocaust and Jewish execution during WWII
S TRUCTURE AND OUTLINE Its in the history books, the Holocaust. Its just a phrase. And the truth is it happened yesterday. It happened to my mother. I never met my grandmothers or my grandfathers. They were all wiped up in the gas chambers of Nazi Germany. Gene Simmons (1949-), Israeli singer-songwriter, actor
Memory as foundation/ pillar of history: the history of the mass is often the history of collective memories Memory as counter argument to the known history: in the case of any governmentintervened history account, the official story often appears contradictory to the story of insiders (e.g. the case of Korean comfort women). Memories of such served to give a fair and comprehensive account of what really happens Memory as evidence to historical account: Memories of appropriate could prove the trueness and objectiveness of history, both academic and everyday Memory as fillings in history: while history is solid and definite, memories are like soft tissues that connects the bones, giving history texture, richness, and emotions Memory as stimulation to more memories Memory as recollection of people and feelings: through studying the importance of memorials, the output of memories, in
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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