Memory, in its broadest sense, refers to a faculty by which we remember; in its sociological conceptualization, it refers to representations of the past, which involve emotions and reconstructions of past experiences in such a way as to make them meaningful for the present.

The fact that “we live with memory on our lips but in societies without living memory” (Nora 1996, 5) is one of the most interesting paradoxes of contemporary societies. The attraction of memory in postnational, posttraditional, and global societies can be illustrated by our readiness to erect memorials to events that have only just happened and to participate in the numerous events of public commemoration as well as by the widespread interest in old places, crafts, and houses. The passion for the ...