Research
New Faculty Publication: “Listeners” of Negative Memories: An Introspective Reflection on the Experience of Listening to War Memories – Dr. Ayumi Sugimoto
Dr. Ayumi Sugimoto, Associate Professor in AIU’s Global Studies Program, has published an article in Journal of Environmental Sociology.
Abstract and Article Link
Title: “Listeners” of Negative Memories: An Introspective Reflection on the Experience of Listening to War Memories
Passing on war memories presents a variety of difficulties for storytellers and listeners. The storytellers may not be able to easily share their experiences with others, while listeners, who have not experienced similar events, can be confused by memories that are beyond their imagination. This disconnect between storyteller and listener can lead to the inability of the next generation of listeners to accept the memory, and can create an intergenerational gap in the transmission of the memory. Memory is inherently collective and is reconstructed from generation to generation; in this process, those memories that do not resonate with the group that remembers them are marginalized. In other words, the way in which the listener accepts the memory is deeply related to the transmission of memory. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of how the listeners of negative memories engage with war narratives. As a case study, the author introspectively reflects on her own experience of listening to war memories, revealing how variable and pluralistic the listeners’ perceptions were. The author then considers what listeners can do to continue to connect people with their memories, despite the difficulties of sharing negative experiences.
Keywords: War Memory, Listeners, Variability, Multiplicity, The Whole of Memories