“History is Memory Correction”

Abstract

The article provides an overview of contributions to the historical Memory Studies made by the Center of Intellectual History of the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Research of Historical Memory and Intellectual Culture lab and their Head, L.P. Repina, D.Sc., a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Collective monograph “The Past for the Present: History-Memory and Narratives of National Identity”, issued by the ‘Aquilo’ publishing house in 2020, has become one of the most important results of the Center’s scientific activity. This book has brought together representatives of different scientific and educational organizations. The book thesis "past for present" is developed into a scientific manifesto, the meaning of which is determined by the inseparability of history and memory, recognition of the important role of historiographical traditions and schools in the formation of national identity. The book suggests that modern human sciences are undergoing a boom in the Memory Studies, but only a few researches in the field contribute to the growth of knowledge and improvement of the methodological tools of this science. The monograph edited by L.P. Repina is exactly one of such books. Its rich historical and historiographic material, ideas, provisions and conclusions will be interesting not only to scholars, but also to a wide range of readers who are trying to examine the memory discourse in detail.