May 2008

The Archives

• Communication and Media Studies, Cultural Studies, e-Research, Life Writing

  Pixelated Memory

  25.05.08 | Permalink | Comments Off on Pixelated Memory

  War memorials are the most familiar and visible means of acknowledging and respecting the trauma of large scale, violent conflict. In practically every town in Australia, however small, monuments to war are found. These are haunting, poignant reminders of the brutality of war and the fragility of life. And yet, their reassuring solidity and prominence shields us from the reality of lost lives and suffering by casting war in terms of abstract and stylised notions of heroism, loyalty, sacrifice and glory. While it is usual for the names of the dead to be listed on these monuments, their individual suffering is blended, ritualised and distanced in a symbolic and generalised tribute. It is not surprising then that there has always been an awkward fit between the public statements made by these monuments and the personal stories told by individuals who returned.

about

Paul Arthur is Vice-Chancellor’s Professorial Research Fellow and Chair in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences, at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He speaks and publishes widely on major challenges and changes facing 21st-century society, from the global impacts of technology on culture and identity to migration and human rights. His latest book is Border Crossings: Essays in Identity and Belonging (ed. 2019, with Leena Kurvet-Käosaar). Since 2017 he has been Director of the Edith Cowan Centre for Global Issues. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he has held visiting positions in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America, and has given keynote and invited talks in more than twenty countries. Click here for full Profile

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