Collective memory carries the past into the present. This book traces the influence of collective memory in international relations (IR). It locates the origins of a country's memory within the international environment and inquires how memory guides states through time in world politics. Collective memory, as such, not only shapes countries and their international interactions, but the international sphere also plays an essential role in how countries approach thepast.Through in-depth examinations of both domestic and international landscapes in empirical cases, the book explores four ways in which collective memory can manifest in IR: as a country's political strategy; as its public identity; as its international state behaviour; and finally, as a source for its national values. A comparative case study of (West) Germany and Austria illustrates how significantly differing interpretations of the Nazi legacy impacted their respective international policiesover time. Taken together, this book investigates whether collective memory influences global outcomes and how and why it matters for IR.
Author(s): Kathrin Bachleitner
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 176
Cover
Collective Memory in International Relations
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures
List of Abbreviations
Introduction: Collective Memory in International Relations
The Argument
Research Design
Case Selection
Research Methods
Structure of the Book
1: Temporal Security in IR: Combining Ontological Security with Collective Memory
Conceptualizing Ontological Security: The Security of Being
The Nexus between State Identity and State Behaviour
Anxiety, Shame, and the Ongoing Self-Reflective Struggle over Being
Ontological Continuity Instead of Security
The Self ’s Temporal Dimension
Theorizing Collective Memory: The Securing of Identity
Collective Memory as a Social Process
Collective Memory as a Country’s Historical Identity
Collective Memory as a National Narrative
Towards a Temporal Conceptualization of State Identity
Building Temporal Security: The Security of Being-in-Time
Manifesting Collective Memory in International Relations: Memory as a Country’s Strategy, Identity, Behaviour, and Values
Structure of the Following Chapters
2: Memory as Political Strategy
The Origins of a Country’s Memory
Who Wants to Remember?
Memory as an International Strategy
The Case Study: Former Nazi States on the Post-WorldcWar II International Stage
The International Memory Context in the Post-World War II Decade
The Origins of the West German Memory of Guilt
Reparations for Israel
The Origins of the Austrian Memory of Victimhood
Credit Agreement Instead of Reparations for Israel
Conclusion: Memory Originates as an International Strategy
3: Memory as Public Identity
Memory Becomes a Country’s Identity
The Case Study: Former Nazi States React to the Trial of Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann on Trial in Jerusalem
Shame and Confrontation: The West German Public Watches the Eichmann Trial
Outrage and Irritation: The Austrian Public Watches the Eichmann Trial
‘Bring the Full Truth to Light and Do Justice!’: The Official West German Reaction to the Trial
‘Eichmann Was Not Austrian!’: The Official Austrian Reaction to the Trial
Signalling Moral Responsibility: The West German Delegation to Jerusalem
Defending Innocence: The Austrian Delegation to Jerusalem
Conclusion: Memory with Time Forms Public Identity
4: Memory as State Behaviour
Memory Channels a Country’s Behaviour
The Memory–State Behaviour Nexus
The Emotion of Shame as the Corrective for State Behaviour
The Case Study: Former Nazi States React to the Middle East Conflict
The Six Day War of 1967
The Public Perception of the Six Day War in West Germany and Austria
Varying Reasons behind Public Support for Israel in West Germany and Austria
Former Nazi States Take Sides in the Middle East Conflict
The Persistent Influence of the Threat of Shame: The West German Reaction in 1973
Avoiding Shame: The Austrian Decision in 1967
Avoiding Shame by Confirming Victimhood: The AustrianReaction in 1973
The Quest for Physical Security: Predicted Behaviour for West Germany and Austria
The Quest for Ontological Security: Predicted Behaviour for West Germany and Austria
The Quest for Temporal Security: West Germany and Austria during the Middle East Conflict
Avoiding Shame: The West German Decision in 1967
Conclusion: Memory over Time Forms State Behaviour
5: Memory as National Values
Memory as the Source for a Country’s Values
The Ethics of Memory and IR
The Practices of Memory Generate Values
From the Imperative to Remember to the Duty to Act
The Case Study: Germany and Austria Respond to the European Refugee Crisis
The German Response to the Refugee Crisis
The Memory of Germany’s Nazi Legacy
The Partition–Unification Memory
The Immigration Memory
Different Memories, Different Normative Horizons
The Austrian Response to the Refugee Crisis
The Memory of Europe’s Nationalisms
The Memory of Immigration
The Narrative of Austria’s Neutrality
Conclusion: Memory over Time Forms National Values
Bibliography
Index
