Module IV·Article II·~1 min read
Collective Memory and Nation Narratives
Narrative and the Human Sciences
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The Nation as an Imagined Community
Benedict Anderson (1983): nations are "imagined communities." We will never meet most of our "compatriots," but we imagine ourselves as part of a single community through a shared narrative—history, symbols, rituals. This is a narrative construction supported by institutions: schools, media, holidays.
National narratives are selective. They emphasize certain events and silence others. Whoever controls the narrative of the past controls the legitimacy of the present.
Memory Wars
"Memory wars" are political conflicts surrounding the historical narrative: who was the victim, who the aggressor, what counts as tragedy and what as just retribution. Monuments, textbooks, and holiday dates are narrative battlegrounds.
Corporate narratives about the past work in a similar way: "we are an innovative company" vs "we are a company with strong traditions"—different stories about the same facts.
Question for consideration: What "corporate narrative" about the history of your organization exists? Who created it? What does it emphasize and what does it silence?
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