History in family memory

Abstract

What do you know about your mother, your grandfather, your great-grandparents? Family memories, whether about personal events or events that mattered to a community, might be transmitted across generations and remembered by the descendance. The aim of this chapter is to discuss how cognitive psychology investigates the question of family memory and its transmission. We start by reflecting on how cognitive psychology has approached memory work and the underlying assumptions, emphasizing the aspects where our approach diverges. Arguing that cognitive psychologists should extend their focus beyond the individual, we then examine existing research on family memory and collective contexts. Next, we introduce the hourglass metaphor developed by our interdisciplinary team. We proceed to review our research on the intergenerational transmission of family (historical) memories. Finally, we consider social and political momentum