Mike Palij wrote: > > No doubt but some researchers refer to "social memory", cultural > knowledge that is transmitted from one generation to another through > one's family and membership in a particular community.
Of course, but these events have been transmuted into nation-establishing or nation-enhancing events by, e.g., Armenians and Ukranians. That is why they are remembered (for now, anyway). The "Spanish" flu does not have such a role in American history (or anywhere else that I know of). >> On top of that, the time of the flu pandemic is overshadowed by >> World War I >> > > Actually, if one views the American Experience episode (or reads > the transcript) the spread of the 1918 flu was intimately related > to the operation of World War I. True, of course. But given the limited historical coverage, the first two decades of the 20th century get little enough "face time." And World War I (the traditional diplomatic and military history) takes up almost all of that. Actually, while we're on this topic, what I find especially interesting is the virtual non-coverage of US labor history. In the 1890s, it was commonplace to argue that the "labor issue" had overtaken the "race issue" as the primary dividing line in American society. And strikes had become so frequent and so violent (e.g., Grover Cleveland sent half(!) the US Army into Chicago to break up the Pullman boycott) that it was widely believed that the country was on the verge of a second Civil War. (Indeed, it is widely forgotten John Dewey's epoch-making theory of the school was an explicit attempt to bring the younger generations together in order to avoid perpetuating the labor/ethinc violence then under way.) Almost no one knows about any of this today, but one could argue that it was the critical turning point in the construction of 20th-century American society. It was the historical underpinning of Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" in the early 1930s. >>> (2) Even though it had a tremendous impact on popular >>> culture at the time, a social amnesia seems to have developed >>> about it, with few people remembering or knowing about >>> it (the AE episode shows several survivors who provide >>> oral histories about their experience with the flu). One of the >>> more obvious manifestations of fear of the flu was the widespread >>> use of surgical masks in public to prevent transmission (as it >>> would turn out, the masks were inadequate). How could >>> something so horrific be forgotten? >>> >> Once something is (nearly) out of living human memory, it depends on >> historical research and teaching and learning to be remembered. >> > > This is true but it ignores other means of historical transmission, > especially oral traditions and the maintenance of cultural rituals > that lead to the maintenance of social memory True enough, but these are not really historical knowledge, per se. They are ethnic identity myths. They are shaped and molded to suit the self-image of the group that repeats them (esp. in your example, the Balkans). They occupy, I would argue, approximately the same "cognitive space" as group identity-establishing stories that are based on virtually no historical events at all -- such as Remus and Romulus, King Arthur, George Washington's cherry tree (and, for that matter, Newton's apple tree). But perhaps you are correct, if what you are looking for is just basic knowledge of the existence of an event such as the flu pandemic, rather than detailed accurate knowledge of it. >> We live in a culture that doesn't much value history (as contrasted with >> patriot-building national myths). The "Spanish" flu doesn't play a role >> in how American view themselves. It wasn't a "glorious triumph" (and it >> is difficult to turn into one), and because it was an international >> event it doesn't serve to differentiate Americans from everyone else. >> > > In the main, I agree. I find it somewhat surprising how many undergraduates > don't know or understand what "Watergate" was about or that Nixcon > had commited crimes. American optimism may also lead to "Pollyanna > Effects" in focusing on only the good/happy/pleasant in contrast to > the bad/sad/unpleasant. Nonetheless, we still have commemorations > such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day and other anniversaries. > It is not only America, of course. All nations (and ethnic groups) burnish their historical self-image in similar ways (though being so powerful, the American examples may have wider implications than most). For instance, right now in Russia, Stalin is getting an historical upgrade. New textbooks are being ordered by the govt that downplay the purges and reframe the whole matter as being a rather unfortunate "necessity" of bad times. "Good thing we had such a strong leader to get us through..." What we call World War II, the Russians call the "Great Patriotic War," and they like to point out, with some justification, that while we tend to focus on the 6 million Jews killed in the camps, Russians suffered 20 million deaths (though it is unclear exactly how may of those were Stalin's doing as much as Hitler's). > >> From a narratological perspective, it is disaster without any obvious >> evil-doer. >> > > Perhaps, but a large number of people lost family members and friends > to the flu, life was disrupted, and there was the fear that one could be > struck down without warning. It would seem to me that such a social > upheaval would have been encoded into our social memory somehow. > Almost all dead now, sadly reduced to fading sepia images posted in hallways. Consider: How did your great grandmother die? Do you know? Do you feel much day-to-day sorrow over it? Now, here's the tough one: what about her sisters and brothers? I had great grandfather who lived in a town that was the regular target of Czarist-inspired pogroms. I know this only because he moved to the US (and wrote a diary, which has been preserved). I have no knowledge of his siblings (if any), whether and how they survived the attacks, if they too emigrated. (Indeed, they may well have died in the 1918 flu.) The rule of thumb even for family memory is three generations, apart from exceptional circumstances (kings, presidents, successful revolutionaries, etc.). > > As a child, I had not heard of the 1918 pandemic but I do remember > the polio scare. Good example. Have your kids ever heard of polio? Will their kids? > > Apparently, a very bad flood happened in 1993 which caused > extensive damage in this same area. I remember this flood. They called it the "Sixth Great Lake" at the time. Best, Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise his or her views." - Melissa Lane, in a /Guardian/ obituary for philosopher Peter Lipton ================================= --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
