On Reflection of the Past in Memory. Czechs in the Republic of South Africa

0423578 - EÚ 2014 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Brouček, Stanislav
On Reflection of the Past in Memory. Czechs in the Republic of South Africa.
Národopisná revue. Roč. 23, č. 5 (2013), s. 19-30. ISSN 0862-8351. E-ISSN 2570-9437
Institutional support: RVO:68378076
Keywords : emigration * Czechs abroad * memory * memories * traditions * the Republic of South Africa
Subject RIV: AC - Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnology

History can enter memory; on the contrary, memory entry into history is an inadmissible matter for some historians; for other experts, the memories are adequate history resources. Subjective level of manipulation is what continues to be memory base. On the contrary, history is – to the maximum extent possible – an objectified view of the past. Memory records the past through individual experiences whereby several levels can be seen in the process of remembering. Especially: memory includes both a stage of a storage device and a stage of subjective interpretation depending on plenty of individualized factors including the current mood of the narrator. Both levels (storage device and interpretation), however, are subject to the author’s license whereby the purpose of this communication is dominating. On the other side, the purpose cannot be related only to an individual’s profit. The contribution summarizes some knowledge of the author gained at the collection of life stories among the members of Czech ethnic groups abroad with concrete examples from the Republic of South Africa.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0229772