Disfunciones en el tratamiento mediático de la memoria colectiva

The academic study of collective memory –or “historical memory” in Spain– and its divulgation in the context of mass communication have often followed divergent paths. While the original approach of Maurice Halbwachs has tended increasingly to the rigor of philosophical reflection (as in the case of Paul Ricoeur, for example), audiovisual products on memory have sometimes adopted very dramatic, emotionalized and controversial narrative forms. This paper describes the background and context of the problem and is illustrated with some of the most common dysfunctions in the mass media.