社会记忆研究的发展趋势之探讨

The Trends of Social Memory Study

冷战后欧洲对社会记忆的兴趣的爆发推动了西方对这一课题的研究,也促进了社会记忆的跨学科的合作。要理解当代社会记忆发展趋势,必须首先对战前和战后主要的社会记忆理论家做一个批判性的梳理。同时,也要夯实社会记忆这样一个重要概念的基础,使其避免误解。在当代西方社会记忆理论家中,阳·阿斯曼和爱蕾达·阿斯曼思维的精微以及批判性是值得肯定的,但他们对社会记忆和媒体特别是新媒体的关系之研究显然有偏颇之处。新媒体一方面造成了社会记忆的快餐化,另一方面促进了社会记忆的多样化。这种多样化不仅体现在民族记忆的强化,也提升了世界记忆的地位。为此,建立一个以新媒体和通讯技术为前提的社会记忆理论和实践之研究框架,就成了一种必要。

Since the end of the Cold War, the outbreak of rethinking the past in Europe has greatly pushed forward social memory study in the West, and also promoted interdisciplinary cooperation in social memory study. This article aims to delineate major theories of social memory before and after WWII from a critical perspective. To find a way out of the jungle of overlapped, easily misleading definitions existing in the discussions, the author first tries to lay a solid foundation for such a basic term as ＂social memory, to avoid misunderstanding. While recapturing Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assmann and Aleida Assmann, this article appreciates the accuracy and critical spirit in their thinking. At the same time, the author reveals the problematic views of some theorists on the study of the relationship between social memory and media, especially new media. While new media create innumerable ＂fast-food memories＂, they make the diversity of social memory possible. This kind of diversity has not only enhanced national memory, but also promoted the status of cosmopolitan memory. Therefore, it has become necessary to create a research framework in connection with the theory and practice of social memory on the basis of new media and advanced telecommunication technology.