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Collective Memory, Nation-building and Shared Identities

Collective Memory, Nation-building and Shared Identities. Building Memory & Shaping National & International Identities by reclaiming “history”. Notions of shared history (“facts”) as shared identities Recall film about Head Tax Shared identities and lineages (Zerubavel).

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Collective Memory, Nation-building and Shared Identities

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  1. Collective Memory, Nation-building and Shared Identities

  2. Building Memory & Shaping National & International Identities by reclaiming “history” • Notions of shared history (“facts”) as shared identities • Recall • film about Head Tax • Shared identities and lineages (Zerubavel)

  3. Other ways of thinking about historical connections

  4. Monogenist Polygenist Human Descent Models

  5. A Case Study : African Heritage, Nova Scotia Communities and the Cultural Future

  6. Historical context (recent) Destruction of Africville in the 1970s • Video clip from Remember Africville– before (settlement) & after (small park with monument) destruction of the community

  7. Government Policy & Public Administration • Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs

  8. Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage as Sites of Memory • Heritage preservation BEYOND PHYSICAL “things” • Continuing uses & meanings – ideas for contemporary ways of “performing” culture & historic practices • Communicating values & techniques (skills) Youth Sailing Workshop In connection with “Amistad” sailing

  9. Example: Re-recreation of “Amistad” voyage (but in the other direction)

  10. Changes in Grade School Curriculum

  11. Collective Memory as Cultural Mediation • Not just about rethinking ‘representations’ • Not a chain of information flowing unchanged from one point to another • production, mediation, reception • Tangible & intangible heritage as sites of cultural memory

  12. New Perspectives in Theories of Cultural Mediation • Core notions: • active agency, appropriation (make it your own) • lived experience & grounded practice • Networks of collaboration, different perspectives • Material & symbolic dimensions— • cultural heritage implications (material culture important too)

  13. Case Study: • Black Loyalist Heritage Preservation in Nova Scotia, Canada

  14. Part 1: Black Loyalist History • 1770s– conflict in British Colonies in the New World-- War of Independence (American Revolution) • Loyalists (Tories) vs. Rebels (Patriots, Sons of Liberty) http://museum.gov.ns.ca/blackloyalists/

  15. British Promises • British policy (1775-Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation: freedom for slaves owned by rebels who fought for British • Philipsburg Proclamation, 1779) : • encourage slaves owned by rebels to flee • Why? economic warfare, service to armed forces • Promise of freedom

  16. Roles of Black Loyalists • Many military units as musicians, guides • Army & navy • Black Regiments: The Black Pioneers, the Guides, the Jersey Shore volunteers, the King’s American Dragoons etc.

  17. 1783-Treaty of Parisstipulated British evacuate without “carrying away any Negroes or other Property of the American Inhabitants” C. of F: Certified that holder was free at time of Treay of Paris Log of Black Loyalists planning to leave : Carleton’s Book of Negroes Certificates of Freedom

  18. Black Loyalists • British left the U.S. with Loyalists—about 3,500 came to Nova Scotia & New Brunswick

  19. Probably largest community of free North Americans of African ancestry on continent Birchtown, Nova Scotia 1783

  20. Harsh Conditions

  21. Struggles & Race Riot • late summer and fall arrivals • Little experience with cold climate (48 BL African born) • Rocky land, little topsoil, dense woods • Lack of supplies • Black Loyalist land grants delayed • Race riot --1784

  22. Continued Hardships, Emigration • Bad weather, crop failures, severe winters • 1791--Sierra Leone Company offered free passage to Africa to 1200 Black Loyalists Nova Scotia

  23. Migration Routes

  24. Other Important Settlement Sites of Nova Scotians of African Heritage

  25. Birchtown Today Harbour and Church Part 2:

  26. Birchtown today

  27. Material culture & memory Purpose? Symbolism ? Then (?) Now Mysterious Mounds

  28. Mounds

  29. Few written records by ancestors Few material artefacts (poverty) Links to lost connections to origins (example: waistbeads at African Burial Ground– NYC) Importance of Archaeological Records of African American History

  30. Community Action • 1990—Nova Scotia province plans to build a landfill site (dump) on site of the mounds • Shelburne County Cultural Awareness Society established to preserve Black Loyalist Heritage (Now Black Loyalist Heritage Society)

  31. To authenticate claims for development of Black Loyalist heritage preservation site and document history Archaeological Digs

  32. Digs

  33. SCCAS (Black Loyalist Heritage Society) Initiative

  34. Sign for Monument

  35. First Monument

  36. Founding member of SCCASElizabeth Cromwell Other prominent community members who are Black Loyalist descendents: high school principal, church leaders etc. Community Leadership

  37. Museum Exhibition Participation of Nova Scotia Museum

  38. Curated by Carmelita Robertson NS Museum of Natural History Travelling exhibit Now in Birchtown Museum Exhibition

  39. material heritage projects: • Commemorative Sites • Museum • Walking trail & boardwalk • Offices • Centre

  40. Other Projects • Heritage Education Program (curriculum & extra-curricular) • Achievement prizes • Youth skills initiative • Community centre project • Black Loyalist Registry • Forms & brochures at meeting • Research (continuing archaeological digs)

  41. Connections to International Networks

  42. Black cultural centre (Dartmouth)

  43. Wall honouring African-descended RCMP

  44. Meeting with Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs

  45. But in 2006- Arson Attacks

  46. Biography & Collective Memory: The Charleston Connection • NS museum Researchers discovery: • Ancestors of one slaves of the ancestors of the other in Charleston, S.C. • Film Loyalities (Canadian Broadcasting Corp., 1998) –screening today -- about • their trip to Charleston to visit the plantation where their ancestors lived • their experiences of the legacy of slavery

  47. Concluding Remarks: Memory as Mediation • biography & collective memory in contemporary cultural practice • Example of actor-network theory of “mediation practices” • Community leadership BUT also • Multi-faceted, ‘cross-disciplinary ’ networks of collaboration: • different kinds of people with different backgrounds training expertise &motivations (architaects, archaeologists, historians, community organizers, filmmakers….) • Interaction part of meaning-making process

  48. Cultural Preservation as Mediation • Cultural heritage preservation NOT just about preservation of objects/material remains • Complex interplay of material and symbolic-- past, present and future– but material culture important • Collective memory not simply the reconstruction of something that previously existed • Preservation efforts vital to contemporary cultural practices— New collective understandings of culture --enhance lived experience now & build cultural future

  49. Image Credits • Black Loyalist Heritage Society • Nova Scotia Museums • Some photos shot by Marontate

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