SOCIAL MEMORY STUDIES - FROM COLLECTIVE MEMORY TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGY OF MNEMONIC PRACTICES

Despite substantial work in a variety of disciplines, substantive area s, and geographical contexts, social memory studies is a nonparadigmat ic, transdisciplinary, centerless enterprise. To remedy this relative disorganization, we (re-)construct out of the diversity of work addres sing social memory a useful tradition, range of working definitions, a nd basis for future work. We trace lineages of the enterprise, review basic definitional disputes, outline a historical approach, and review sociological theories concerning the statics and dynamics of social m emory.