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| The Convergence and Divergence of History and Memory：An Analysis in Conceptual History |
| Q. Edward Wang1,2 |
| (1.Institute for the Global History of Civilizations， Shanghai International Studies University， Shanghai 200083；2.History Department， Rowan University， NJ 08028) |
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Abstract With the rise of memory studies in recent years， the term “historical memory” has emerged in Chinese literature， implying an equivalence between the two. In contrast， there has always been a certain tension between history and memory in Western scholarship——the birth of history in the West was related to the purpose of combating the loss of memory. The theoretical premise of modern scientific historiography， as shown in Rankean historiography， is to distinguish between the “past” and the “present” and to examine and reconstruct the former from the standpoint of the latter， whereas memory often conflates the two. In post-WWII years， Rankean historiography faced a series of challenges； memory studies have been one of them. From Maurice Halbwachs to Pierre Nora， Western scholars have attempted to use memory to complement and revise the traditions of historical research and writing， to improve and expand the methods and scope of historiography， and to contribute to the renewal and revolutionization of its content. However， the merging of historical and memory studies in recent years has still not changed the fundamental differences between the two.
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Received: 22 January 2024
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2024, Vol. 63 
