Constructing Sites of Memory

This book explores what geographical sites as places of memory can communicate that is substantially different to that available in other forms, such as books, video, and the internet. With a series of chapters analysing a separate memory project relating to slavery, the Cold War and political persecution, the author examines a series of Lieux de Mémoire as three-dimensional places upon which a certain kind of cultural ritual is enacted, and in which a ‘spirit of the site’ is experienced that makes people feel that they share past experiences; as if being in the same space once inhabited by others can, to an extent, collapse time and provide direct access to history.

Contemporary interest in memory projects has much to do with a profound change of our sense of time and space, motivated and caused by factors such as technological change, the information revolution and new global trends in consumption and mobility. With information about all kinds of historical events now freely available, what can geographical sites communicate that is substantially different to that available in other forms (such as books, video, and internet)? As three-dimensional places upon which a certain kind of cultural ritual is enacted, historical sites are more complex than a written or visual source, and less easy to read. The genius loci - the spirit of the site - is often hard to describe, but doubtlessly felt to be perceptible. This essence makes people feel that they share past experiences; as if being in the same space once inhabited by others can, to an extent, collapse time and provide direct access to history. To explore these themes, Paul Williams uses insights from his professional work over the past decade in planning and interpreting heritage sites worldwide located on site-specific places. Each chapter analyses a separate project relating to slavery, the Cold War, political persecution, and terrorism to form a base for an interwoven comparative study and broader discussion. Taken together, they show how concepts of Les Lieux de Mémoire, to use Pierre Nora’s now 30-year old founding concept, have evolved in the twenty-first century.

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