At the crossroads between traditions, conceptions et interrogations : a brief history of the (dis)continuities in "memory studies" in Poland

Abstract

Despite their long tradition, stimulating research methods and insights, Polish approaches to "memory studies" are not well known abroad. This discussion of the work of sociologists (such as Stefan Czarnowski, Nina Assorodobraj-Kula and Barbara Szacka) and historians (in particular those interested in "social imaginaries" and collective identities) challenges the well-established assumption that memory studies emerged in the 1970s. Exploration of the collective/social memory has a much longer tradition than is usually advanced. Furthermore, the range of research tools and analytical categories is much broader than suggested in dominant narratives about the history of memory studies. A short summary of the latest developments in this field completes this overview of the genealogy and history of memory studies in Poland during the 20th century.