Habits of collective memory.

Collective memory can generally be defined as an account of the past that is shared by members of a group and is part of their identity project. In this paper, we attempt to discuss collective memory in terms of narrative, schema, and habit, three constructs that reflect an underlying assumption that humans are "cognitive misers" who gravitate toward ways to handle large amounts of information in efficient ways. Narrative makes it possible to grasp together a series of events into a meaningful whole, and collective memory emerges when members of a group share the same narrative tools.

Competing national memories of World War II.

We assessed the knowledge of 1,338 people from 11 countries (8 former Allied and 3 former Axis) about World War II. When asked what percentage their country contributed to the war effort, across Allied countries, estimates totaled 309%, and Axis nations' estimates came to 140%. People in 4 nations claimed more than 50% responsibility for their country (Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States).

Collective memory: conceptual foundations and theoretical approaches.

In order to outline the conceptual landscape that frames discussions of collective memory, three oppositions are proposed: collective memory versus collective remembering; history versus collective memory; and individual memory versus collective remembering. From this perspective collective remembering is viewed as an active process that often involves contention and contestation among people rather than a static body of knowledge that they possess. Collective remembering is also viewed as privileging identity formation and contestation over the sort of objective representation of the past that is the aspiration of formal historical analysis.