Maurice Halbwachs

Maurice Halbwachs was a French sociologist known for his work on collective memory, which explores how groups of people remember their past. He argued that our memories are shaped not just by personal experiences but also by social and cultural contexts. Halbwachs distinguished between individual memory and collective memory, emphasizing that the latter reflects shared experiences and identities within a community. His ideas highlight how memories are constructed and maintained through social interactions, influencing how groups perceive their history and identity, making him a key figure in understanding the relationship between memory and society.