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In praise of forgetting: historical memory and its ironies
(Book)

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Published:
New Haven : Yale University Press, [2016].
Physical Desc:
x, 145 pages ; 22 cm
Status:
Arden-Dimick
153.12 R553 2016
Pocket-Greenhaven
153.12 R553 2016
Description

A leading contrarian thinker explores the ethical paradox at the heart of history's wounds
The conventional wisdom about historical memory is summed up in George Santayana's celebrated phrase, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Today, the consensus that it is moral to remember, immoral to forget, is nearly absolute. And yet is this right?
David Rieff, an independent writer who has reported on bloody conflicts in Africa, the Balkans, and Central Asia, insists that things are not so simple. He poses hard questions about whether remembrance ever truly has, or indeed ever could, "inoculate" the present against repeating the crimes of the past. He argues that rubbing raw historical wounds—whether self-inflicted or imposed by outside forces—neither remedies injustice nor confers reconciliation. If he is right, then historical memory is not a moral imperative but rather a moral option—sometimes called for, sometimes not. Collective remembrance can be toxic. Sometimes, Rieff concludes, it may be more moral to forget.

Ranging widely across some of the defining conflicts of modern times—the Irish Troubles and the Easter Uprising of 1916, the white settlement of Australia, the American Civil War, the Balkan wars, the Holocaust, and 9/11—Rieff presents a pellucid examination of the uses and abuses of historical memory. His contentious, brilliant, and elegant essay is an indispensable work of moral philosophy.

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Arden-Dimick
153.12 R553 2016
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Pocket-Greenhaven
153.12 R553 2016
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Format:
Book
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780300182798, 0300182791
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Rieff, D. (2016). In praise of forgetting: historical memory and its ironies. New Haven, Yale University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Rieff, David. 2016. In Praise of Forgetting: Historical Memory and Its Ironies. New Haven, Yale University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Rieff, David, In Praise of Forgetting: Historical Memory and Its Ironies. New Haven, Yale University Press, 2016.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Rieff, David. In Praise of Forgetting: Historical Memory and Its Ironies. New Haven, Yale University Press, 2016.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Grouped Work ID:
6e51ee8e-6aa0-3bc9-9d0a-028df36eea93
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Record Information

Last Sierra Extract TimeMar 16, 2024 08:50:45 AM
Last File Modification TimeMar 16, 2024 08:51:10 AM
Last Grouped Work Modification TimeMar 28, 2024 02:11:39 AM

MARC Record

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