Historical Memory in Political Use
by Dasha Kusa

Historical memory’s relationship with the past is like an embrace—ultimately emotional, not intellectual—said historian Bailyn. It resembles more a religious rite rather than a secular enterprise that history as an academic discipline proclaims to be. Events and eras of heroism and martyrdom are idolized and put on pedestals for worship. Memory is thus a ready-made tool that provides an intimate link between individual and society that is readily usable to move people towards believes or actions. Memory of suffered injustices reaches remarkably far into history, hundreds, sometimes even more than a thousand years back. They stack up on top of each other, packing up like snowballs that politicians readily throw at each other when matters of ‘national importance’ are debated. The next three articles by ICfC fellows explore the way in which historical memory operates in the mindset of political leaders, and how they, in return, operate with it in order to score points with their followers. While these short case studies are set in Israel, Switzerland, and Cambodia and explore particular events, mechanism through which memory is deployed in politics is universal to all humanity.