Abstract:

The core of collective memory lies in the dynamic integration of historical continuity of memory and its social construction. The frequently occurred public emergencies in modern society can be viewed as the sources and nodes of collective memory. Focusing on whether the construction of collective memory can be discontinuous, this paper tries to integrate and categorize scattered fragments of memory in different narrative dimensions of memory under the framework of “idea-image”, and integrates the overall construction logic of collective memory of public emergencies in modern society along the lines of “sketch-glue-construct”. At the same time, this paper holds that under the current uncertain society and the specific cultural context of China, the active construction and maintenance of collective memory of public emergencies with the goal of integrity is the basis of integrating useful experience in multiple time dimensions of modern society and the country, and rebuilding the cognition of social and cultural structure.

Key words: collective memory, idea, image, public emergencies