Communicative and cultural memory as a micro-meso-macro relation

In: International journal of media & cultural politics, Band 12, Heft 1, S. 27-41

Abstract

Abstract
The model of fluid transition of memory from the individual to the collective level and vice versa as proposed by Jan and Aleida Assmann can be considered a great progress in social theory. However, the ways in which both memory dimensions reciprocally influence each other have not been theorized sufficiently yet. In this article we propose a theoretical process through which collective memory at the macro level influences the individual's memory and through which memory at the individual micro level may become a part of the collective memories. This process can be considered as an exchange taking place at the meso level and can be exemplified by the public discourse within the Web 2.0. It is assumed that the Web 2.0 provides a forum that aggregates individuals' perceptions and interpretations of the past on the one hand (bottom‑up) and disseminates the meaning of a society's dominant commemoration figures on the other hand (top‑down). Here, Wikipedia with its articles about history together with its discussion function is seen as a crucial example of collective memory presented by the Web 2.0. Therefore, within this paper, Wikipedia is theoretically integrated as an intermediary institution located at the meso level.