Amnesia is not the Anecdote…
Growing up in New York, I can strongly remember my 5th-grade Social Studies and American History teacher. His awkward demeanor always stood out to the class. Adorned frequently in hippy-ish dress and with an unforgettable voice, he constantly reminded our class that America was not always America. This admonishment was to bring to light the fact that America was founded on the original 13 Colonies. He drilled into us the American Colonization, which began in Jamestown before moving to Massachusetts and then to New York.
My thoughts on colonialism have always initially centered on how America was once occupied by Indigenous people and the displacement that occurred as a result of colonialism. Extractive Colonialism was also a term I became familiar with in college. This type of colonialism centers on gaining raw materials from specific areas. Colonizers would displace indigenous people in the hope of extracting precious materials or goods. This has been a past practice in Asia and Africa, with recent documentaries and movies such as Between Two Worlds, based on the life of Spanish Soldier Gonzalo Guerrero, and “The Black Panther” giving a more intentional light to colonialism and its ramifications.
Biblically, as I look at the Babylonian and Assyrian conquests, history is extremely depicted by colonialism. In my estimation, colonizers displacing indigenous people to gain their resources is both fraudulent and heinous; however, this has historically been widely regarded as an accepted past practice. This problem remains persistent and prevalent today as countries engage in war and rumors of war with colonization as an end-game objective.
My Beliefs with Ferudi
As I wrestle with the complexities associated with the past, I can affirm that some of my beliefs mirror Ferudi’s. He cites the burning of books as an example and how many hide under the banner of outdated to justify their actions. In a phrase coined The Ideology of the Year Zero, he describes the passion for rewriting history by abolishing or renaming something. [1] I do agree some things could benefit from a renaming or abolishing, however another truth exists, and that is self-centeredness can often be a culprit. Ferudi says the prevailing obsessive impulse to settle scores with the past is underpinned by a narcissistic tendency to evaluate history from the standpoint of contemporary cultural conventions.[2]
A second place of agreement landed me in the midst of Ferudi’s take on Presentism. Are we victims of presentism? At times-yes. Ferudi cites that presentism encourages the narcissistic mode of consciousness that flatters its practitioners for being enlightened and aware, unlike those who inhabited the bad old days.[3] Something is to be said for an intentional pursuit of rapid change while simultaneously cutting the umbilical cord from the past. A detachment from the past is not always necessary, but it is harmful to the accomplishments, struggles, and pains felt prior. He also mentions the fueling of the cancel culture as a direct consequence of this mode of thinking. Presentism does have positive benefits, it creates a place for accountability to address historical wrongs and bring about policy changes.
How I was Challenged By Furedi
My original perspective was the belief this book looked at the past with a singular lens. I am challenged to find a common ground that acknowledges the past without erasing things away in its entirety. There is an old saying in order to know where you are going, you must first understand where you are coming from. Being sensitive to the past and interpreting its significance is supremely subjective. There are many things that need to be bought back to remembrance. As he confronted the topic of language, I navigated within a polemic of sorts as I thought about the 1st Amendment and the rights surrounding Freedom of Speech. Also of note, the impact on younger generations; society is constantly pressured to forget. The pressure to forget has essential implications for how young people are socialized to acquire a view of the past. In effect, they are educated to forget and regard the past as a vast waistline where darkness reigns.[4]
Living in this culture, there is a movement designed to forget and remove much of the past. The past, in my perspective, does have a purpose as it creates a place and space for pause and reflection. Refusing to accept and address the past is a refusal of history. I also acknowledge there are forces at play engaged in a conscious movement to erase the past from history books. Addressing the history of the past is somewhat triggering for me as, living in my dark skin, I am reminded of the painful traumas and atrocities committed throughout American and world history. However ugly, egregious and, reprehensible these acts may have been, notwithstanding, the story still needs to be told.
[1] Frank Furedi, The War Against the Past; Why the West Must Fight for Its History (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2024), 65.
[2] Furedi, 88.
[3] Furedi, 105.
[4] Furedi, 180.
About the Author
Daren Jaime
12 responses to “Amnesia is not the Anecdote…”
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Hi Daren,
I totally agree with you, ‘However ugly, egregious and, reprehensible these acts may have been, notwithstanding, the story still needs to be told.’
In what ways did Frank Furedi’s discussion of historical amnesia and the impact of cancel culture challenge your original perspective on how we should engage with the past?
Hi Shela, Ferudi echoed some of my feelings about how we cannot erase or diminish the past. If not careful, the presentism approach could suggest to some that we got it right and you got it wrong. And yes, in many cases, people got it wrong, but a lot is also going wrong today. We should in fact “engage” with the past because there is a lot to learn from and build upon,
Hi Daren, This is a great post. I appreciated how you mentioned Extractive Colonialism, a term I don’t recall learning in school. However, if I am honest, I probably wasn’t paying attention. In my experience living in Mauritania and being aware of what goes on in different African countries, I might argue that a form of Extractive Colonialism still exists. I appreciate your authenticity as you conclude your post by mentioning the triggers from reminders of traumas and atrocities. The healing journey is long and complex. As I considered Furedi’s work and the past, I kept thinking about how a war on the past will not bring complete healing. There is so much more to it. How have you found healing from things done in the past, especially to the black community? If this question is “too big” or too personal, there is no pressure to answer in this space. Thanks again for a great post.
Hi Elysse, This is not too personal, in t least. I find healing in the things that have occurred through my fait in Christ. Many years ago, I attended a Seven Last Sayings of Christ service, and I was deeply impacted by the sermon, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
That day, I understood the importance of asking God for forgiveness on be alf of others. I realized that two of the factors that led to Christ’s crucifixion were ignorance and personal preference (choosing Barabb s over Jesus). Now, I pray for those who are either in denial, are ignorant, or choose personal preferences as a reason to be prejudiced against others.
I also find healing by turning pain into purpose. Some of my work as a pastor is aimed explicitly at advocating for the marginalized, oppressed, poor, and afflicted. This extends beyond color, as I contend my work is fueled by the premise that we are all made in God’s image and are entitled to fair and equitable treatment and opportunity.
Revisionist history seeks to remove the negative, and a presentism approach diminishes history and the ability to learn from it. There is an old saying- “If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know where you’re going,” our past and origins in fact assist us in our decision making and navigation future terrain, Frankly, to consider removing things from history books will not get us there. History cannot be reduced to just “His-story” or “Her”-story but rather should tell the whole story! There is so much to learn and add to a person’s toolbox, and that is why I am grateful for the African American Museum in D.C. and other similar museums that share the rich history, contributions, and legacy of those whom we may never have come to know.
Thanks for your post Daren. I appreciate so much your Christ-like perspective. In your pastoral context, how have you seen this different cultural pressures and ways of thinking about the past play out? Where do you see hope for the future?
Hey, Ryan, thank you, brother! From my seat, I think acknowledging the past would be huge, as many people operate in denial while simultaneously walking in privilege.
I also believe everyone could benefit from cultural competence. Discussing the past could potentially be the pathway to reconciliation and restoration.
Silence is complicity on days like today, when so much injustice abounds. In the past, Martin Luther King reminded us, “We will remember the silence of our friends more than the words of enemies.”
In the present, we say. “if you see something, say something.” Moving forward, I would say if you see something, don’t just say something- do something to make it better than it was.
Daren, I love this thought, “The past, in my perspective, does have a purpose as it creates a place and space for pause and reflection. Refusing to accept and address the past is a refusal of history.”
It made me recall walking through the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Everywhere I walked there were human bones and bits of clothing protruding from the dirt. As I walked through the field, it made me sick and made me wonder how people could treat one another so brutally. It was a way of uncovering the past without glorifying it.
How might we do that in our context with some of our ugly reminders?
Hey Graham, I apprecaite your post and I breathed deeply reading about the killing fields in Cambodia.
Answering your question I mentioned to Elysee earlier the power of the African American Museum fro my context. I think museums such as this rooted in authentic history are worth visiting as they accomplish what you suggest, uncover-but not glorify. There we can discover the hidden and the unknown and also gives us a deeper insight that could fuel our foresight.
Hi Daren, you mentioned the movement towards forgetting and removing much of the past because we look at the past with disgust as we think about colonization. Do you find it ironic that in colonization, people are stripped of their cultural and historical identities, and when we forget the past, we are imposing that same loss of identity on ourselves?
Hey Christy! I totally agree. A lot gets lost in the stripping of identity and culture. There is a need to guard against this because, as I mentioned earlier, it creates a path for amnesia. Looking back at history, we have left so much out, so many out, that it is encumbered on some in this present day to reclaim their identity.
Daren, you highlight the tension between remembering history and the modern impulse to redefine or even erase aspects of the past. Given your reflections on colonialism, presentism, and historical reinterpretation, how do you believe societies should balance acknowledging historical injustices while avoiding what Furedi calls the ‘obsessive impulse to settle scores with the past’? Where should the line be drawn between accountability and revisionism?
Hey Chad. You loaded the gun on this one because I should write a book if I have the correct answer. (laughing)
When I approach revisionism in a negative sense, its intent is often rooted in the hidden motive of altering something in an attempt to protect power, fudge oppression, or the presentation of a falsely positive narrative. History has consequences, and we must choose to tell the truth and acknowledge its consequential impact, no matter how good or bad it may be. There are many cases where people are simply eager to hear an acknowledgment of the past, just to pursue present peace, but instead are denied the mere articulation of historical injustices. More plainly, we cannot keep delving into the past, but we can make changes in the present that set a better future course.
A clear line must be drawn when a person or group distorts history for political, social, ideological, or cultural convenience.