Yvette Hutchison Knihy

Memory plays a crucial role in reshaping South African historical narratives and identities. The book explores how memory is expressed through cultural practices, such as songs and rituals, as well as through physical archives and monuments. It highlights the significance of performance in events like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the 2010 World Cup, emphasizing the challenges of creating a unified national narrative. The study critiques the state's oversimplified portrayal of South Africa as a singular "rainbow nation," revealing the complexities of diverse memories.

This book argues that memory functions as a key element in contemporary South African re-imagining of historical events and in constructing new definitions of national and personal identity. It compares two ways in which memory is embodied: in repertoires of practices, songs, dance, rituals, and in material archives, texts, documents, buildings. -- .