Description
Book SynopsisOnly recently have international relations scholars started to seriously examine the influence of collective memory on foreign policy formation and relations between states and peoples. The ways in which the memories of past events are interpreted, misinterpreted, or even manipulated in public discourse create the context that shapes international relations. "Power and the Past" brings together leading history and international relations scholars to provide a groundbreaking examination of the impact of collective memory. This timely study makes a contribution to developing a theory of memory and international relations and also examines specific cases of collective memory's influence resulting from the legacies of World War II, the Holocaust, and September 11. Addressing concerns shared by world leaders and international institutions as well as scholars of international studies, this volume illustrates clearly how the memory of past events alters the ways countries interact in the present, how memory shapes public debate and policymaking, and how memory may aid or more frequently impede conflict resolution.
Trade ReviewThis remarkable collection of essays shows that it is possible to treat a complex, delicate and controversial subject with, at the same time, subtlety, sensitivity and iconoclasm... The book deepens our understanding of problems linked to the presence in international relations of a past which refuses to go away. Survival
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Twenty-first-Century MemoriesEric Langenbacher and Yossi Shain 1. Collective Memory as a Factor in Political Culture and International RelationsEric Langenbacher 2. Germany's National Identity, Collective Memory, and Role AbroadBettina Warburg 3. Collective Memory and German-Polish RelationsEric Langenbacher 4. Building Up a Memory: Austria, Switzerland, and Europe Face the HolocaustAvi Beker 5. Memory, Tradition, and Revival: Who, Then, Speaks for the Jews?Ori Z. Soltes 6. September 11 in the Rearview Mirror: Contemporary Policies and Perceptions of the PastOmer Bartov7. The Eventful Dates 12/12 and 9/11: Tales of Power and Tales of Experience in Contemporary HistoryMichael Kazin8. The Use and Abuse of History in Berlin and Washington Since 9/11: A Plea for a New Era of CandorJeffrey Herf9. Of Shrines and Hooligans: The Structure of the History Problem in East Asia after 9/11Thomas U. Berger10. Popular Culture and Collective Memory: Remembering and Forgetting in Chinese-U.S. Relations after 9/11Gerrit W. GongConclusion: Collective Memory and the Logic of Appropriate BehaviorYossi ShainContributors Index
