Key Term History
Collective memory
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Collective memory = shared pool of information for the members of a same society
In sociology:
Emile Durkheim studied collective effervescence = transcendence of the individual and the profane into a united sacred
group through religious traditions, rituals, memories and beliefs; but need to gather physically
With the group expansion, need to extend the unity with totems and other symbols, ex:
9/11: candlelight vigils, flowers, candles, posters, chalk drawings, and flags
WWI: poppies
January 2015: pens
Halbwachs also mentions commemorative events:
anniversary commemorations of September 11th, gatherings of the survivors
11th November holiday
Memorialisation = embodiment of a particular event, memory in a specific monument; allows the representation of the
past and national identity
Past = past events gathered by history and memory
National identity = social cohesion within a group of people who share distinctive common points (tradition, culture
language)
Example of memorial of French collective memory: L’arc de Triomphe
Architecture
49m high, 45m large
Frieze represents protagonists of the French Revolution, the French Empire, the Napoleonic armies in Italy and
Egypt, allegories of Resistance and Peace
Inside, names of famous battles of the Revolution and the Empire are engraved, along with 660 surnames of
soldiers, and 128 battles
On the ground, bronze patches represent important milestones: proclamation of the Republic on 4th of
September 1970, return of Alsace-Lorraine on 11th of November 1918, the call of Resistance on 14th of June
1940; as well as the Second World War (1949-1945), the Indochinese War (1946-1954), the Korean War (19501953), the Algerian War (1956-1962).
Events
Ashes of Napoleon 1st in 1840; wake of Victor Hugo in 1885, 14th July 1919 victory celebration; Unknown
soldier’s burial in 1921; Charles de Gaulle’s tribute to the Unknown soldier on 26th of August, 1944
Symbols
After World War One, 1.4M dead or missing, 3.6M wounded, 500,000 prisoners, corpses buried in Notre-Damede-Lorette (Pas-de-Calais) or Douaumont (Meuse); all the communities build war memorials
1920: decision to ordain the corpse of an unknown soldier at the Pantheon and bury it under the Arc - “Ici
repose un soldat Français mort pour la patrie 1914-1918”
1923: flame of memory to watch permanently the sacred tomb; rekindled every single day at 18:30
Flame is the symbol of sacrifice of those who died in battle to live in freedom; represents hope and faith in the
future destiny of the country
Ceremony of rekindle of the flame carried out by the youth, notably through the “Concours de la Résistance”
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