Collective Memory in Diplomacy and Interantional Relations

This paper looks at the theoretical and operational underpinnings of empirical endeavors aimed at assessing the impact of collective memory on the relationship between states. It reviews the literature dedicated to the concept of “collective” memory and its operationalization. The discusssion on the operationalization of this concept reveals the importance of the “infrastructure of memory” that political and cultural elites (“the critical community”) set up in order to keep the memory alive. There is a limited body of literature that focuses on the use of memory in diplomacy and international relations, but this author argues that, properly framed, an investigation of the impact the memory of a specific historical event has on bilateral relationship is worthwhile pursuing.