Cultural Memory and Early Civilization

Writing, Remembrance, and Political Imagination

AvJan Assmann

Inbunden, Engelska, 2011

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Beskrivning

Now available to an English-speaking audience, this book presents a groundbreaking theoretical analysis of memory, identity and culture. It investigates how cultures remember, arguing that human memory exists and is communicated in two ways, namely inter-human interaction and in external systems of notation, such as writing, which can span generations. Dr Assmann defines two theoretical concepts of cultural memory, differentiating between the long-term memory of societies, which can span up to 3,000 years, and communicative memory, which is typically restricted to 80 to 100 years. He applies this theoretical framework to case studies of four specific cultures, illustrating the function contexts and specific achievements, including the state, international law, religion and science. Ultimately, his research demonstrates that memory is not simply a means of retaining information, but rather a force that can shape cultural identity and allow cultures to respond creatively to both daily challenges and catastrophic changes.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2011-12-05
Mått:158 x 235 x 23 mm
Vikt:570 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:296
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9780521763813

Utforska kategorier

Allmän historia och världshistoria inom Historia och arkeologi

Mer om författaren

Jan Assmann is Professor Emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Heidelberg and an Honorary Professor at the University of Konstanz. He has published forty-five monographs, including, most recently, The Price of Monotheism (2009), Of God and Gods: Egypt, Israel and the Rise of Monotheism (2008), Religion and Cultural Memory (2006) and Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt.

Recensioner i media

'Jan Assmann's work on cultural memory is essential for notions of memory and memorialization. I know of no modern scholarly study on collective memory and aspects relating to it, from Thucydides to modern Israel, from Genesis to modern Germany, that has not in some form drawn on Jan Assmann's theories on the relation between collective and cultural memory. In short, this book is an absolute classic, and will be invaluable to English-speaking scholars.' Susanna Elm, University of California, Berkeley

Innehållsförteckning

Introduction; Part I. The Theoretical Basis: 1. Memory culture; 2. Written culture; 3. Cultural identity and political imagination; Part II. Case Studies: 4. Egypt; 5. Israel and the invention of religion; 6. The birth of history from the spirit of the law; 7. Greece and disciplined thinking; Cultural memory: a summary.