Abstract
Since Maurice Halbwachs put forward the concept of collective memory, the relationship between individual memory and collective memory has been under debate. Literary study cannot avoid this issue as literature is a typical field of contestation between collective memory and individual memory. Interestingly, the two representative theories that doubt collective memory have opposite views. Paul Connerton argues that Halbwachs only takes the collective as the restrictive framework for individual memory rather than as the subject of individual memory. Other scholars such as Susan Sontag criticize the concept of collective memory for its overlooking the differences in individual memories and its resulting social determinism. Yet, paradoxically, both side of the debate rely on the essentialist binary of collectivism and individualism, overlooking the intersections and interactions of collective memory and individual memory.
Keywords
collective memory; individual memory; Maurice Halbwachs; Aleida Assmann; literary genre; autobiographical writings
First Page
1
Last Page
10
Recommended Citation
Tao, Dongfeng. 2022. "Beyond the Binary Opposition between Collectivism and Individualism: A Reflection on the Concept of Collective Memory." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 42, (4): pp.1-10. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol42/iss4/1
