Collective Memories of Violence: Remembering in Families and Local Communities

In recent decades biographical research has given more attention to the relevance of collective memories of violence such as armed conflicts and persecution in different historical periods and world regions. Collective memories shape people’s view of the past, and determine which parts of the past are included or excluded in the present knowledge of social groups and collectivities. They also shape the "we" and "they" images that are constitutive for biographies, and structure interactions in power asymmetric relations. Not least, collective memories are in competition with each other, and social power relations are responsible for their dominance or marginalization. Accordingly, they co-determine the social position of individuals and groupings.

From the perspectives of historical sociology, figurational sociology and biographical studies, we will investigate how collective memories of armed conflicts and persecution are shaped within local communities and families, and their impact on biographies and the social positioning of individuals and groupings. We will explore the following questions in the session:

• What (competing) collective memories of armed conflicts and persecution are formed and transmitted by families or local communities in their respective contexts?
• Under which socio-historical conditions can they be passed on (or not) and in what ways can they be subject to transformations?
• What is the significance of collective memories and the associated discourses for biographical structures and social figurations in local contexts?
• What effects on biographies can we empirically determine if the collective history related to one's own grouping is not part of dominant collective memories and discourses?