Conceptualization of Collective Memory in the Philosophy of Paul Ricœur

Abstract

The phenomenon of collective memory is studied by scientists from different angles and meets many contradictions. P. Ricoeur managed to present a position that eliminates them and can be used as the basis for a general conceptualization of collective memory. The purpose of the article is to analyze the features of the conceptualization of collective memory in the phenomenological anthropology of P. Ricoeur, allowing not only to comprehend the category of collective memory as objectively as possible, but also to identify in it the sources of distortion of the past and strategies for overcoming the negative experience imprinted in it. Collective memory should be understood in terms of how memory reproduces connections between individuals and communities, not in terms of a model that takes hold of individuals or groups. The scientific significance of the study lies in the fact that for the first time it provides arguments in favor of recognizing the philosophy of P. Ricoeur as a unified conceptual basis for further research. The practical significance is presented by the opportunity to use the results when modeling collective memory by new communities in the context of globalization and digitalization. The research methodology is presented by methods of scientific literature analysis, dialectical logic and hermeneutics.