Silenced Accounts of History Among Minority and Majority Populations

Abstract

The present theoretical thesis sought to review the current research on collective memory regarding what gets remembered and silenced and the implications of remembering and silencing on national identity and support for historically marginalized groups in both majority and minority populations. The first section of this thesis reviews the research on the relationship between collective memory and constructions of national identity, beliefs about minority rights, and the erasure of minoritized groups in history among members of majority groups. Often history retold by majority groups emphasizes success while de-emphasizing historic wrongdoings committed by the majority group. A strong denial of minority history is associated with an ethnocultural view of national identity and a lack of support for minority rights. When the majority group perceives certain historical events as a threat to their identity, the historical event is placed further into the subjective past. Thus, the perpetrators of historic wrongdoings are less likely to compensate the victims. The second section discusses the research that examines the relationship between collective memory and national identity among minority groups. Members of a minority group demonstrate a more robust knowledge of critical history and the ability to identify systemic racism than members of the majority population. Members of the minority group also demonstrate a strong perception of mistreatment from systems of authority. The final section reviewed and theorized the implications of silence-breaking accounts on national identity. An individual's perception and understanding of justice can change with exposure to silence-breaking accounts. Thus, anti-silence events are necessary to end the silencing of historic wrongdoings.