Meaningful Pasts: Historical Narratives, Commemorative Landscapes, and Everyday Lives

“Memory studies is undergoing an affective turn as we consider how the past, beyond official memorial narratives, is internalized, performed, and resisted by ordinary social actors and groups. Meaningful Pasts significantly advances this new paradigm. It documents the ways in which residents of the Niagara region deploy mnemonic resources in building local identities, Derek H. Alderman, Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee

“Russell Johnston and Michael Ripmeester’s research maps the affective mnemonic practices of Niagara residents as they navigate concepts of community and social change. As the study reveals, traditional historical narratives, and indeed the interventions made into these by cultural professionals, have far less impact on people’s contemporary understandings of self and community than often supposed. This important book will challenge cultural professionals concerned with developing effective interventions into political and social debates while providing important pointers for developing a broader understanding of community mnemonic practices.” Laurajane Smith, Professor of Heritage and Museum Studies, Australian National University