for info about Corey, Yancey and Anneliese, please see their other contribution.
A moving methodology: Points of departure in Haug’s Collective Memory Work
Unlike narrative inquiry, grounded theory, ethnography, or phenomenology, collective memory work (CMW) is a less frequently used methodology. In implementation, CMW entails participant-focused examination of concrete experiences revealing the social construction of knowledge. CMW is a powerful tool for examining the symbols and discourses of culture and society and is used to investigate an assortment of topics including the social construction of emotion and anger, the meanings embedded in daily food practices, gender identity formation in middle school students, gender in media consumption, LGBTQ identity in schools, and much more. In this presentation, we will focus on some of the complexities of using CMW for purposes of social justice and, in doing so, the ways in which we have stuck close and also departed from Haug’s earlier work. We will describe some of these revisions to the methodology for the purposes of their social justice-oriented work and lead the audience in a robust discussion that include questions such as:
Is CMW a methodology or a method?
How much participation is required of the participants?
Do identity politics matter for participants? For facilitators?
Is third person confidentiality necessary?
Who can do CMW?
Do memories have to be written?
What is gained by methodological loyalty and/or rigidity? What might be lost?
What are the values and strategies associated with using CMW for community activism over research?