To invent or collect yourself a past
The worrying thing at the moment is that history – including tradition – is being invented in vast quantities. In the past 30 years there’s been an explosion of heritage sites and historical museums. On top of this, particularly since the end of communism, there’s been the foundation of new states which need to invent histories to show how important they are. And the way you do this is that you invent or collect yourself a past.
From the Observer interview with Eric Hobsbawm.
[x]#225 fan zondag 29 september 2002 @ 12:22:47
