The Making of Memory Policies

Abstract

The idea that it is possible to use memory and “lessons from the past” to arm today’s citizens against future violence is a welcome band-aid for our insecurities; it protects the individual who subscribes to it from doubts they may have about their own moral convictions. This belief in the effects of memory has been institutionalized in the form of public policies and through the increasing number of specialized institutions, both of which have been transformed by dedicated professionals convinced of how useful they are. For some observers, this may provide the only moral norm compatible with a globalized world. Describing this belief and the concrete way in which it is implemented constitutes the first chapter of this book. In doing so, this first chapter pays particular attention to the implementation of these memory policies in schools, memorial-museums, truth commissions and justice courts.