Strategies And Mechanisms For Constructing Historical Memory And Oblivion In The Space Of Public History[Стратегии И Механизмы Конструирования Исторической Памяти И Забвения В Пространстве Публичной Истории]

At present, historical science is experiencing a new historiographical wave associated with the study of commemorative practices (anniversaries of significant events of the past, reevaluation of the activities and merits of historical, political and cultural “heroes”), which is reflected in the public space and largely shapes the current sociopolitical agenda. The systematization and analysis of existing theoretical and methodological approaches to comprehending the commemorative practices aimed at preserving and/or removing the memory of the past in the public space is one of the significant problems of social sciences in general and historical science in particular. Historical memory is an essential building block in the development of national identity. It is often based on one or more historical myths, which determine not only the society’s perception of the past, but also largely construct the attitude to the present (current) events. Understanding the mechanisms of how remembering the past determines group behavior and individual strategies of interaction with the surrounding world is important from the perspective of studying the transformation of national identity and the sustainability of the society as a whole. This determined the object of this study, namely the practice of constructing historical memory in the space of public history. The aim of the study is to systematize and analyze the existing theoretical and methodological approaches to comprehending the commemorative practices aimed at preserving the memory of the past and/or the process of forgetting the past in the public space. The analysis of theoretical models, as well as the mechanisms of formation, development, and consolidation of historical memory of events, figures, and “heroes” within this work will allow us to correlate the discourse of official history with the vernacular practices of remembering and/or forgetting about the past. In addition, a consideration of this issue based on the historical material of European countries (Great Britain and Germany) will allow us to see the models of developing and overcoming their own model of the past, which exist in the public space.