Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 6:30 pm, at the Espace culture, campus Cité scientifique. Free on reservation.

The Fortunes and Woes of Memory in Politics

The field here is not that of history, which confers on memory many responsibilities including that of lessons from the past and that of maintaining great traditions.
In politics, the gaze goes first to the actors and their relations with other actors, companions or opponents: forgotten, faithful, ingratitude and resentment. The great biographies reveal the intensity of this register in political life.
Politics often takes care of memory by commemorating or even celebrating and also promotes forgetfulness and sometimes crumples the reality of memory by maintaining some legends or exaggerations. The rulers and presidents have the mastery of great ceremonies always a vaporous way to talk about them.
The memory also helps explain important aspects of the political choices of partisan families or officials: the look on the referendum, on parliament, on elites or the conception of the exercise of power. The Fifth is a wonderful playground for the observer.
In conclusion or perhaps as an introduction, a quick glance at a singular literary genre, that of the writing of «memoirs» to contribute to writing history.
In partnership with the Société des sciences, de l'agriculture et des arts de Lille (SSAAL)