The Politics of Regret: On Collective Memory and Historical Responsibility (Paperback)

Despite the avalanche of interest in the concept of memory, few scholars pause long enough to be clear about what they mean when they use that term. The Politics of Regret is a notable exception. Olick wants to understand memory in postwar Germany, and, in particular, the politics of regret that shapes Germany’s attempt to come to terms with its past. What makes Olick’s work a triumph is his reasoned and particularly clear notion of what constitutes collective memory. With complete mastery, he moves through a vast literature, articulating the many ways scholars have theorized about collective memory and then applying his understanding of the phenomenon to postwar Germany. One does not need to be a specialist to understand what drives Olick’s interest in putting memory at the center of his discussion of regret or to appreciate the depth of his arguments. For the social scientist or psychologist interested in collective memory or postwar Germany, Olick offers a great introduction. For the specialist, he brings new insight into old and troubling problems.

—William Hirst, Professor of Psychology, The Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research

Jeff Olick has provided an indispensable guide to the subject of collective memory, essential reading for anyone interested in today's memory boom.  He not only shows us how to use the terms "memory" and "the politics of regret" with care and precision, but how such concepts can help us understand key facets of Holocaust remembrance in Germany and beyond.

—Jay M. Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History, Yale University

Both lucid synthesis and imaginative departure, this book re-inscribes a dynamic sociological dimension into the field of memory studies which has been dominated by historians, trauma theorists and literary critics. Thinking social memory with Bakhtin, Elias and Bourdieu, Olick develops a stringent model of an empirical historical sociology that reflects on the centrality of memory and temporality for theories of modernity and the public sphere. With German post-Holocaust memory practices as his prism, Olick re-structures memory studies in ways that suggestively bridge the gap between social studies, humanities and human rights discourse.

—Andreas Huyssen, Villard Professor of German and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

The Politics of Regret is a work that every scholar interested in the intersection of memory and politics will need to own. In a series of linked essays, Olick makes a compelling case that society is simultaneously constituted by organization and narrative. Focusing on the case of postwar Germany Olick demonstrates how regret and the attempt to escape and erase that regret allow for the existence and legitimacy of the modern nation state. Olick understands, following Nietzsche, that sometimes we confront too much history, yet the insights of this volume suggests that we never can have too much wisdom. This is the work of a first-rate mind and a ground-breaking sociologist.

—Gary Alan Fine, John Evans Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University

This is an extremely interesting and sophisticated set of essays from one of the leading theorists and analysts of memory. The essays provide a clear and persuasive case for the author’s approach to studying "social memory," and the essays are written with verve and elegance. Essential for anyone interested in problems of memory and society.

—John Torpey, Professor of Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center

Olick looks at a range of memory related issues, how catastrophic, terrible pasts – Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa – are remembered, but he is particularly concerned with the role that memory plays in social structures.