Memory in action: brief considerations about the concepts of memory and identity in Joël Candau’s work

Abstract

Memory and Identity by Joël Candau is a book that both undertakes a state of the art of the concepts referred to in the title and proposes new interpretations and readings from an anthropological perspective. Thus, in this review, we seek to identify the ways in which the author constructs and supports these two fundamental categories for the Human and Social Sciences. For this reason, we chose to expose the main arguments of the book, then explore the intricacies of its theoretical and methodological construction. Finally, we also propose a brief debate on the relationships between memory, identity, and history, an issue of fundamental importance, as it demonstrates how the past can be mobilized and manipulated for different purposes, whether to foster identities or to support political practices.