In his piece “On Collective Memory” Halbwachs discusses the role that an individual’s memory plays in their life. One’s memory can amount to significant parts of a person’s identity, for it not only effects the way that they act but also the way that we fit into society. Halbwachs states that “the mind reconstructs its memories under the pressures of society” (51) which attests to the understanding that our memory has the power to drive our actions and steer our morals throughout numerous interactions. Halbwachs presents two worlds to the reader: our present society and our society immersed in thought. He states that each individual is in control of their memories and can manipulate their societies immersed in thought.
Throughout the rest of his piece Halbwachs continues to explain the many ways in which our memory can affect all parts of our life, and most importantly our family life. Just as our personal memory can affect other parts of our lives, “we extend our family memory in such a way as to encompass recollections of our worldly life” (81). Halbwachs believes that these memories can bring together groups of people who share similar memories, which demonstrate one of the ways in which memory can function in our society. He specifically states that although there are families that can share memories, there are still strong distinctions between each memory an individual family or group can have.
Although at times I found this article abstract and difficult to understand I noticed that there have been countless occurrences in my life where my memory has played a large role in the situation at hand. When Halbwachs discusses the reconstruction of the past and how a book that you read in your childhood can have a completely different meaning in the present than when you first read it. As I get older I have began to notice that not just books, but people and places that I have not seen since I was younger or grew up around have taken on a whole new meaning in my adulthood. This may seem insignificant, but where this happens most is in movies. Movies that I loved to watch when I was younger nowadays feel fake and terribly made movies. When I watch a movie now that I watched over and over again when I was little I can barely even watch it for more than 10 minutes. At first it was saddening because I don’t want to think of something that I remembered so fondly in a bad light.
Another part of Halbwachs piece that I connected with was his section about group memory. I believe that our memories are really important and interconnected with our personalities as a whole, and they allow us to connect with others and find our place within a group. This helped to further my understanding of the ways in which groups and families function within a society, and those functions are also related to that of the individual.