“De-romanticised and Very...Different” Models for Distinguishing Practical Applications of Collective Memory-Work

Abstract

This essay is about Collective Memory-Work (CMW) and the learning opportunities offered by different ways of putting Collective Memory-Work into practice. I will give a brief contextualisation of the development of CMW and describe its core tenets including its character as a process of re-construction of results of earlier education and societalisation. Then I am going to unpack different models of applications of CMW for their learning potential for participants. For this purpose I will revert to illustrations of the methodical steps in CMW to demonstrate the shifts of learning opportunities in four ideal typical models. The models presented in the essay are meant to offer a way to describe what happens if something is done in a particular manner. By being able to describe effects of opening or closing down of learning opportunities, it will be easier for anyone considering the use of CMW to plan and conduct their own project against a background of emancipatory learning.