Bauhaus-Universität Weimar students will be focussing on the work of Maurice Halbwachs, particularly during the winter semester of 2024/25. The »Das kollektive Gedächtnis« Medienkultur seminar, taught by Professor Henning Schmidgen, explores the main features of Halbwachs' memory theory and locates it in current debates.
Halbwachs' posthumously published 1950 work forms the core of a social-psychological theory of memory. According to this theory, remembering is not just an individual ability rooted in the brain, but a collective activity that is linked to certain objects and spaces. Social groups enable individuals to access memories through narratives and rituals. These narratives and rituals are supported by tangible objects, so-called artefacts, and symbols.
In the course, students will first be introduced to the foundational concepts of Halbwachs' memory theory. They will then contextualize these concepts within current discussions in cultural and social sciences. At the same time, the seminar will reflect on Halbwachs’ murder at Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945, a tragedy that is being commemorated through the renaming of the university's Audimax.
Photos: University Communications / Thomas Müller
