The Immanent past: Culture and Psyche at the Juncture of Memory and History

The past is immanent. Its presence in the present takes many forms such as memories, texts, ruins, and monuments. Although the phenomenological existence of the past is in the present, the present does not determine the immanent past. In some cases, conspicuous traces of the past, such as ruins and monuments, demand attention. These traces can even serve as sites to shape intersubjective relations. At other times, experiences in the present produce unwanted, anxiety-provoking flashbacks. The immanent past can influence the reproduction of knowledge and subjectivity, as much as present concerns can shape the past. By focusing on the cultural and intersubjective engagement with manifestations of the past, it is possible to bridge old distinctions such as global-local, individual-culture, history-memory, and even past-present-future.