Theorizing Historical Consciousness

"With Theorizing Historical Consciousness, Peter Seixas has brought together a group of international scholars to address issues related to collective memory and historical consciousness from the perspectives of a number of disciplines, including history, historiography, philosophy, psychology, and education. From a practical standpoint, historical consciousness has serious implications for international relations, reparations claims, fiscal initiatives, immigration, and indeed almost every contentious area of public policy, collective identity, and personal experience. Current policy debates are laced with mutually incompatible historical analogies, and identity politics generate conflicting historical accounts. Never has the idea of a straightforward 'one history fits all' been less workable. The volume addresses this complexity through examination and comparison of various theoretical approaches to the study of historical consciousness, thus enabling us to chart the future study of how people understand the past."--BOOK JACKET.