Remembering your past is very important for every person. History is an area in which everyone should be knowledgeable, because it provides a key to understanding the events of the distant past. This, in turn, can save humanity from mistakes in the future. The social memory of mankind is a huge living system that grows every day, “eating” memories, literature, music, etc.
Cultural heritage of society
Social memory, the definition of which will be given below, is considered a subject for interdisciplinary research, since it is very multifaceted. It represents an important system that allows the transfer of cultural heritage, which is very voluminous, diverse and chaotic. Due to the fact that mankind has invented many ways to pass on its knowledge, impressions and thoughts to future generations, the social memory of society is enormous, every person can draw from it.
Cultural heritage is very important, because it explains the past and helps to understand the future. Universal memory cannot disappear, but, unfortunately, it is very easy to distort. The true preservation of history is dealt with not only by specialists, but also by ordinary people. They write biographies, memoirs, which are not printed anywhere, but simply lie in an old house, in a dusty cabinet and wait in the wings. All the secret sooner or later becomes apparent, so humanity learns its true history.
The origins
In order to understand what the concept of social memory means, you should go a little deeper into psychology and philosophy. Both of these sciences indicate that there is a kind of collective unconscious that directs the whole society. It is very difficult to specifically describe this system, but the fact that it really exists has been proven more than once. The term is difficult to intelligibly define for a number of reasons. First, it should be understood that we are talking about a purely theoretical concept. Secondly, it is rather difficult to give an example. However, I would like to note that modern scientists have advanced much further than their predecessors and were able to define this concept and give specific examples.
The development of the idea of ​​the social memory of mankind has a rather long tradition in the history of psychology. Domestic psychologists actively dealt with this issue, trying to find confirmation for him. L.S. Vygotsky, A.R. Luria and other scientists were able to prove that the turning political and historical events in society can affect the human psyche and memory, raising them to a new level.
Social memory
The term is a form of transmission of the “capital of memory" of social groups, and also expresses certain ideas, positions and values. The social memory of mankind is the bearer of moral, cultural norms and values. Thanks to it, the accumulated "capital" of memory can be used in the process of communication, as well as recreate it.
It is worth noting that the term “social memory” is the subject of study by scientists from different fields of knowledge. therefore, it is important to understand that the concept is very multifaceted. However, modern scientific literature does not explain the system of social memory, its structure and content. In general, there are many definitions of this concept, since everything depends on the methodological approach of a particular science.
For example, the information approach defines social memory as the transmission of information by temporary channels. On the other hand, psychologists explain the term as the totality of all the information that is in society. Also, one should not forget that such concepts as the historical experience of mankind, historical truth, counter-memory, and common memory are associated with this concept.
The historical memory of mankind
Historical consciousness implies the memory of all events in the history of mankind. This is a separate category, which is part of a large complex of social memory. The first to use the concept of "historical memory" began by scholars-historians who began to notice similar turns of the same events at certain intervals. The historical consciousness of society is a combination of messages, myths, stories transmitted from generation to generation. If we talk about how reliable is the historical memory of society as a whole, it should be said that it is more a set of distorted reflections about past events.
Most clearly, historical memory conveys negatively colored events that had significant consequences. Most often, stories about injustice, oppression, bullying, if we are talking about the historical memory of a particular people, are transmitted.
Historical memory is often mistakenly confused with cultural memory, however, the difference between the concepts is great. Cultural memory is a set of common basic ideas of the whole society about the past, which are built on cultural monuments, literature, etc. At the same time, do not underestimate the influence of all cultural factors on a person’s perception of the past.
Manipulating Social Memory
The methods and forms of preserving historical memory are very diverse, especially in conditions of rapidly developing science. Before considering methods of preserving historical memory, it should be noted that they all have a huge impact on a person’s perception of himself in history, as well as on the interpretation of the past. Skillful manipulation of the past at the state level can lead to overwhelming consequences, because the nation will not be able to turn to its true origins. Unfortunately, the manipulation of history by the authorities is very common, which extremely negatively affects the perception by young people of the past of their people. Many facts are skillfully and deliberately hidden, but something completely disappears from the historical chronicle. It is very difficult to influence this, because historians make up textbooks. However, are they sure of the veracity of the knowledge that they have received in a higher educational institution? This question continues to be open.
Ways to preserve the memory of mankind
Methods and forms of preservation of historical memory were created gradually. The first form of preserving the memory of society was cave paintings, according to which the younger generation learned about how their ancestor lived. Architecture had a very big impact on people before writing appeared. The development of writing laid the foundation for a huge process that continues to this day. Thanks to manuscripts, scrolls, the older generation passed on important and secret information to their followers. No wonder they say: what is written with a pen - you can’t cut it with an ax. Why is writing so dramatically captured everyone and everything? To begin with, architecture was available only to masters of their craft. They did their work commissioned by wealthy nobles, because most architects were poor, but talented. One can argue that there were also literate ones, and this is indeed so. But literacy could be learned much faster, and it did not require special permissions - write what you want. The priests got the opportunity to transfer their thoughts, observations and teachings from generation to generation. Moreover, literate people began to write fiction, describing in it all the grief of their situation. The older generation got the opportunity to accumulate wisdom and pass it on to their children. Actually, literature is a powerful tool for preserving the social memory of society. Also important, but less significant forms of preserving social memory include: music, architecture, festivities.
With the advent of general education schools, an important place in the formation of the historical consciousness of mankind began to belong to textbooks. It is to them that students believe implicitly, and it is from there that they draw all the information. Folklore, memoirs, textbooks, biographies, holidays, memory days, architecture have a tremendous impact on the formation of an integral cultural memory. In the modern world, influence has only intensified, as the media, radio, television, and the Internet have developed rapidly. Society should understand that real historical facts rarely lie on the surface, so information from any source should be criticized and logically questioned.
Features
If you are interested in the question of what are the features of social memory, you should again return to the definition of the term, but we will not do this. The features of social memory (in contrast to the memory of a particular individual) are that the memory of any person is finite, it has a beginning, but will invariably come to an end. An individual cannot be a carrier of historical memory. Speaking of social memory, one can never distinguish several people or a group of people who are its carriers. The definition refers to a group of people, but about the largest group of people - society around the world. It is each individual person who is a member of society, is a small component of social memory. Cultural heritage is impossible without society, without a group of people, which in its own way interprets and conveys it.
Many scientists emphasize that if social memory is the totality of the memory of individual people, then the whole exceeds the significance of its individual components. This is a very important conclusion, which leads to an understanding of the importance of community of people, mutual exchange of knowledge and global interaction.
Features of social memory come down to one global understanding - it has no boundaries. It can cease to exist only if all of humanity disappears, to a single person. For even one person can recreate the whole past of a kind. Yes, it will be inferior and inaccurate, but even in this form, social memory will continue to exist.
Who dealt with this issue?
It is important to note that for the first time the term "social memory" was used by Estonian scientist J. Rebane in one of the Soviet books on psychology. Actively developed this concept, and also scientists VA were involved in its introduction into everyday life. Rebrin and Yu.A. Levada. It was these researchers who contributed to the fact that the term was recognized in the scientific community.
Today, the social memory of mankind is of interest to a huge number of scientists around the world. It is worth noting that in recent years, interest in memory as a brain phenomenon has grown markedly. New research allows you to create training programs that help you remember information in large volumes and in a reasonable amount of time. Since the information boom hit the society very rapidly, many people began to think about filtering the information received. After all, informational garbage is simply unlimited. If you let everything through you, you can get lost in the stream and bring the brain into a state of shock.
It is very important to study only the necessary specificity, which does not contain unnecessary information or lengthy thoughts. A growing number of scientists from different fields are turning their attention to the unique possibilities of human memory. At the same time, researchers focus on the fact that not even half has been studied.
In the last century, social memory was dealt with by: Maurice Halbwax, J. Le Goff, B. Genet, Pierre Nora, P. Hatton and Aleida Assman. These scientists have made a great contribution to the development of the concept of shared memory. Due to the fact that they drew attention to this significant and complex issue, its study continues to this day. At the moment, the following scientists are engaged in issues of social memory in Russia: I.M. Saveliev, A.I. Filyushkin, L.P. Repin, O.B. Leontiev, N.E. Koposov. This is only a small part of a large group of scientists who have devoted their lives to studying the phenomenon of collective memory of the world. The issues of this issue are also included in the curriculum in higher educational institutions. This was done not only to educate young people on this issue, but also to make them interested in this topic and bring fresh ideas. In the USA, for example, the scientific journal "History & Memory" is regularly published, which covers in detail this topic, as well as all new ideas, ideas and discoveries.
Social mentality
The socio-historical memory of society is very clearly expressed in the mentality of peoples or individual social groups. The mentality is a small but important component of a huge complex of social memory. Any mentality is a living, changing, active form of society’s memory, or, more simply, an everyday cultural heritage. The unconscious part of the social mentality of society consists of attitudes called archetypes. They represent a set of any stereotypes, opinions, judgments in any field, and have a great impact on a person's awareness of any event. In fact, archetypes largely determine the response of society to certain events. It also opens up great opportunities for manipulation, because the opinion and actions of the people or society can be cleverly controlled, referring to the allegedly true events of the past.
In the modern world this is done very easily, because ordinary people do not have access to primary information. You can only learn about events from the Internet or television, which provide information in a certain vision, which is completely subjective and untrue.
Examples of social memory
A vivid example of the social memory of a people can be seen in very simple things: how a nation treats other peoples, how it chooses a political leader, how it builds its culture, how it educates the young generation. Separately, each of these factors will not seem so significant as to affect the social memory of society. However, this appearance is deceptive, because the sum of the parts exceeds itself, representing something big. An example of the social memory of an individual is clearly visible in his everyday habits, judgments and decisions that he makes. The influence of the environment, as well as knowledge about the past, even if they are not systematized, has a huge impact on human behavior in today's conditions. Knowing about his great ancestors, a citizen manifests himself more actively in the political, economic and social arena of the state. And citizens, accustomed to being pushed around by them, become passive and apathetic, without even making an attempt to correct the situation.
For each nation, the issue of independence is very important, and in relation to this problem, much can be said about the archetypes of a particular nation. Many ethnic groups glorify their deplorable position, complaining about worthless rulers and bad luck. But is it really, or just an ingrained habit of suffering from generation to generation and being subordinate?
Summing up the article, attention should be paid to the fact that each individual person is part of something more. This is worth remembering, teaching your children, choosing a country, making an important decision. It is your current actions that will guide the next generation. And although the issues have not yet been studied enough, we can say with confidence that culture, social memory will develop rapidly and promisingly.