INDG 401 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Pierre Nora, Mechanical And Organic Solidarity, Canadian National Vimy Memorial
9 Jun 2018
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Lecture 4- PLACE, MODERNITY AND POWER
Pierre Nora’s lieux de memoire
groups of people think of themselves as having something in common
individuals and groups come to develop a sense that they have mutual obligations to each
other
Durkheim: focuses on French national identity, the role of religion in solidarity
but he wanted to apply those to secular French state
pre modern context, groups are small and bound by similarity (mechanical solidarity)
sense of togetherness
everyone seem to be exactly the same
only one basis of solidarity
collective memory
tribe would be united around a single symbol (animal)
totem
how a symbol comes to symbolize a group
modern society: more complex
people may have several basis of solidarity (you belong to several groups : nationality,
occupational group, religion, college, political party, part of a family)
obligations to each of these groups can be quite different
u have different senses of solidarity
sense that if there is strong sense of solidarity to one group, weaker sense of solidarity to the
other group
state cultivate national identities, get people to feel part of a nation, in order to create sense of
obligation to the nation
sense of solidarity to nation is stronger than sense of obligation to any other public group
in times of crises (war) obligation to the nation was the strongest possible obligation (even
stronger than family, that’s how u get young men to go to war)
nations don’t go to war, states go to war
states are deeply concerned w sense of solidarity and creating collective memory is on way to
do this
RITUALS OF COMMEMORATION
collective memory allows members to have memories of that origin
people feel as if they were alive during origins of their nations but they know they were not
extreme emotional excitement
"collective effervescent” Durkheim
distinguished from mundane, profane activities, create sense of sacred
Durkheim’s emphasis on exceptional dramatic rituals
intense, unusual events are not the only source of collective memory
PIERRE NORA
Les lieux de Mémoire, 1984
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