| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
As major pillars of collective identity, conventional conceptions of the past play an important role in modern political communities. Public history - distinguished from professional history as official interpretations of past events addressed to a broad public - is a central element of symbolic politics, which is targeted at building collective solidarity and forming an idea of 'We' in society. This aspect of symbolic politics is relevant for constructing all kinds of group identities, but it is particularly crucial in nation-building. Therefore it is not accidental that modern historiography is largely centered on writing histories of nation-states.
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