Memoria y Civilización (Nov 2004)
La era de la memoria: reflexiones sobre la historia, la opinión pública y los historiadores
Abstract
This article intends to answer some of the questions which have been asked in international historiography when faced with the current state which is soaked in memory and the political-social implications which derive from the «public use of history». From this perspective, we will trace the concepts used to explain the truly historical treatment of the problems, emphasize the basic controversies and develop them towards that public space in which the ceremonies of memorial recognition are celebrated. The article continues with a short panoramic study of the development of contemporary historiography in the latter decades of the twentieth century, showing three main spaces/moments of convergence and divergence of memory in historiographical practice. And finally it states the position of the historian, of his historical condition and its implications in the present giddy world where memory and forgetfulness appear as two irrevocable reference points for the knowledge of contemporary history.
