Abstract
The issue of how to deal with the relationship between individuals and society, or behavior and structure, has always been at the core of the discussion of sociological theory. Theorists often have different stands and stick to their own views on the issue of whether the society has a repressive power on individuals or individuals have positive initiative. Past Bound, by Liu Yaqiu, attempts to respond to this core issue in sociological theory from the perspective of the ethics of memory, finding another possibility, especially in subtleties between individual and society.
The traditional memory theory has also been placed in the debate about society and individuals. In this memory theory, society plays a decisive role in memory, which is particularly the most evident in ‘presentist’ of memory theory.
The so-called ‘presentist’ believes that the ‘past’ is a kind of social construct which is mainly shaped by the attention of the ‘present’. For instance, the various views on the ‘past’ in different historical periods are all shaped by the belief, interest and desire of the ‘present’. (p. 9)
In this memory theory, it is the ‘present’ that plays a determinant role in our memory; moreover, individual memories are all under the control of society and constructed based on the ‘present’.
Referring to the core topics of sociology theory and the previous memory theories, Liu believes that the ‘society’ in the ‘sacred society’ on one hand contains the meaning of suppressing and restricting individuals, but on the other hand, it also conveys the meaning of forming communities and promoting individuals (p. 4). The relationship between society and individuals is therefore not opposing but mutually constituted, which means society has both the restrictive and dynamic influence on individuals. This book expresses its basic view on society and individuals by an in-depth analysis of the ethics of memory.
With respect to the constraints of society, the book has illustrated it through the concept of ‘memory glimmer’. What is the memory glimmer? It is first a concept opposed to ‘memory glare’. ‘It may occur when the individual memory encounters the collective memory, or when the individual memory is mumbling. In general, it is the part neglected by the magnificent recount’ (p. 130). ‘Memory glimmer’ exists under the suppression of ‘memory glare’, which conveys the meaning of social suppression and restriction.
In Liu’s view, although ‘memory glare’ has the suppressive power, there is still room for ‘memory glimmer’. Under the powerful social forces, the individual’s unique memory which differentiates from the ‘magnificent recount’ is still possible. Although the ‘magnificent recount’ of society is strongly constructive, it does not necessarily ‘infringe, smear, cover or erase’ the ‘private recount’. The two can exist simultaneously, being opposite or being distinct from each other (p. 117).
It is worth pointing out that ‘memory glimmer’ also embodies Liu’s ethical care, believing that the repressed memory cannot be neglected for its weakness. On the contrary, researchers should strive to describe it. Through describing the memory repressed by society, it can provide the possibility to liberate it and inspire new ideas for a possible theoretical conversation.
At the practical level, the starting point of proposing this concept is to clarify the weak position of individual memory, to indicate its existence form and survival condition, and to provide tools for individual memory liberation; At the theoretical level, this concept can observe the situation and state of the collective oppression of the individual in Durkheim’s society concept. (p. 109)
Meanwhile, proposing the concept of ‘memory glimmer’ is also a reflection on the previous sociology research paradigms, which in a certain sense is of great value in reconstructing the sociological paradigm. This concept facilitates researchers to reflect on the previous sociological paradigms, more definitely, to reflect on the rationality of the usual practice of classifying individualized things which are unrelated to society into the field of psychology and literature. What Liu advocates is that the research objects of sociology should also include the very individualized things which seem to be unrelated to ‘society’. Therefore, in Liu’s opinion, the concept ‘memory glimmer’ is put forward to counter the structural interpretation of human memory, which also involves a meditation on the subjectivity and initiative discussed repeatedly in sociology theory (p. 139).
Thus, where does the memory glimmer exist? ‘The memory glimmer is in stored memory’. Assmann has distinguished between functional memory and stored memory. The former is characterized by value connection, group relevance, and selectivity. The latter is related to those which has lost vitality connection with the reality, referring to the deep structural part of memory, which has never been talked about, being in disorder. Stored memory is inert, unproductive, and lurks somewhere unobtrusively; it is often an existence full of pain and scandal (p.149). ‘Memory glimmer is between archives and residues, and closer to the “residues” side’. Those that do not enter the archives will be thrown into the dump, and their function and value thus disappear (p. 151). Therefore, Liu views that ‘ generally, we can only find such existence in the “crevice”’, and this concept constitutes an effort to ‘clarify the existence of glimmer memory and its significance’ (p. 140).
Liu specifically reminds us that the interpretation of memory should not be limited to the society part of memory, but also attend to the human part of memory and its plight. ‘The concept of memory glimmer and the exploration of its mechanism proposed in this book aim to illustrate that it is hard to fully appreciate and notice such glimmer from a traditional political and economic perspective’ (p. 174).
The book has illustrated the promotion of individual by society through the concept of ‘delayed compensation’ which is mainly used to explain the phenomenon that occurs in the process of the intergenerational transmission of family memory, referring to the offspring’s guilt, gratitude, and remembrance for the deceased loved ones. This guilt and gratitude may not occur until their loved ones died, and the very death triggers such memory of the offspring, which Liu calls ‘delayed compensation’. More importantly, Liu believes that this concept conveys society promoting individuals. For one thing, ‘delayed compensation’ improves the spiritual life of individuals as younger generation; for another, it is also a way for society to promote itself (p. 5).
Liu holds the view that it is very common that delayed compensation occurs between children and parents. Delayed compensation is significant to intergenerational succession and human civilization, and it is the human feeling and definition of the civilized world.
In the ‘delayed compensation’, it not only includes the guilt of the children, but also contains the children’s reflection on the life history of the deceased parents, and the realization that they are the continuation of the life and culture of the deceased, thus completing the intergenerational succession. (p. 217)
Liu has realized that the delayed compensation occurs after parents passed away, which inevitably causes inequity between children and parents. ‘This delayed compensation is unfair in a short period of time; in fact, the living and the dead are not equal, morally shown in the living permanently owing the dead’ (p. 218). In this book, Liu specifically mentions the guilt which is regarded as the mechanism of delayed compensation. The delayed compensation is the memory evoked by the guilt of children after their parents died and thus the guilt is the very basic mechanism that triggers the delayed compensation (p. 242).
Regarding the logic occurrence of ‘delayed compensation’, Liu views that the premise of delayed compensation is that the living mourn for their loved ones in pain. Delayed compensation is a way for the living to relieve the pain, indicates a tendency of the living sanctifying the deceased loved ones, and includes the living to learn more about the deceased loved ones through various ways. Recalling the selfless love given by the loved ones is a way for the living to get the inner comfort, which is also a kind of delayed compensation. The living will never forget them. The essence of delayed compensation is the compensation conducted in inner heart, and the consequence of delayed compensation is the living fulfilling their obligations (pp. 256-263).
Undoubtedly, starting from ‘memory glimmer’ and ‘delayed compensation’, this book also has the methodological significance to the analysis of the ethics of memory. In particular, Liu attempts to extend the concept of ‘field’ under the dimension of ‘literature’. Liu believes that the types of materials are multi-dimensional, and the sociological field materials should also be multi-dimensional. Just as the research of problems requires interdisciplinary thinking, the ‘field’ itself is also interdisciplinary. Under the perspective of methodology centered on problem research, it is very necessary to extend the concept of ‘field’. The reasons why Liu emphasizes the field research based on the literature dimension are that ‘for one thing, it is the deficiency of the traditional sociology; for another, studying some literary works under the dimension of memory, we can find profound problems like social mentality and social structure in these works’ (p. 352).
Facing the core issues of sociology, this book provides an idea of finding another possibility in subtleties. The study is deeply humanistic and of innovation in theory and method. It is a rare amazing book. What are slightly insufficient are that we should be aware of the correlation between ‘memory glimmer’ and ‘memory glare’ in the ‘memory glimmer’; however, the two has been placed in an opposite side in this book, which may need more diversified thinking, and as for ‘delayed compensation’, this may be a strategy of the living. But in terms of the continuation of civilization, the emotional connection and love expression between each other when two or more generations are alive seem to be more important, which is also more civilized than the guilt for the loved ones after the death of them.