Because I have been called for Jury Duty, we cannot hold class on Wednesday, February 1. So, we will have a blog "discussion" instead.
Do your readings:
James E. Young, “Memory/Monument,” in Critical Terms for Art History, eds. Robert S. Nelson and Richard Shiff, 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), 234-247. pdf
James E. Young, Introduction to The Texture of Memory: Holocaust Memorials and Meaning (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993), 1-15.
Next, add your comments. Here are some questions for you to think about. But you are welcome to write about things beyond the scope of these questions.
1) James Young quotes the historian Lewis Munford as saying: "The notion of a modern monument is veritably a contradiction in terms. If it is a monument, it is not modern, and if it is modern, it cannot be a monument." What do you think Munford means? Do you agree?
2) Opinions vary about what a monument is versus what a memorial is. What, if any, do you think are the differences between monuments and memorials? How would you define these terms?
3) On page 5 of the Introduction to The Texture of Memory, Young mentions the concept of "memory-work"? What does this mean?
4) Why does Young say that abstraction is a problem for contemporary memorials?
