Memory, while seemingly a thing of the past, has much to reveal in the present. With its focus on memory, War and Remembrance provides new viewpoints in the field of war representation.

Bringing an interdisciplinary approach to discussions of the cultural memory of war, the collection focuses on narratives, either fictional or testimonial, that challenge ideological discourses of war. The acts of remembrance and of waging war are constantly evolving. A range of case studies – analyzing representations of war in art, film, museums, and literature from Nigeria, Australia, Sri Lanka, Canada, and beyond – questions our current approaches to memory studies while offering reinterpretations of established narratives. Throughout, a commitment to Indigenous perspectives, to examining the ongoing legacy of colonialism, and to a continued reckoning with the Second World War foregrounds what is often forgotten in the writing of a single, official history.

War and Remembrance invites readers to cast a reflexive look at wars and conflicts past – some of them forgotten, others still vividly commemorated – the better to understand the cultural, political, and social stake of memory as a source of conflict and exchange, of resistance and opposition, and of negotiation and reconciliation.

Renée Dickason is professor of British cultural and media history at Rennes 2 University.

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Delphine Letort is a professor at the University of Le Mans, France.

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Michel Prum is an emeritus professor at the Université de Paris.

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Stéphanie A.H. Bélanger is associate professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, associate scientific director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, and co-editor of Beyond the Line: Military and Veteran Health Research.

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“War and Remembrance makes a valuable contribution to the academic field of the cultural representations of war memories in various geographical and historical settings. The wide variety of topics and the authors’ high level of scholarship offer valuable insights for scholars and students interested in the study of war history or cultural memory.” Medicine, Conflict and Survival

“By attempting to overcome the national and temporal boundaries that often inhibit comprehensions of social memory, War and Remembrance expands our knowledge of how past armed conflicts are now interpreted while also advancing knowledge regarding the ways that our modes and orientations to history have shifted.” Brad West, University of South Australia and author of Finding Gallipoli: Battlefield Remembrance and the Movement of Australian and Turkish History

“The book’s vivid insights into the ‘gigantic puzzle of war representations’ offer a fresh perspective on collective identities [and] presents a tapestry of contributions that allows readers to gain a uniquely international perspective on the ways in which past wars shape societies today. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine shows, both cultural and material battles can be waged under the guise of a commitment to memory.” International Affairs