Queer Realms of Memory

Pierre Nora’s concept “lieux de mémoire” (realms of memory) has become arguably the most significant academic point of reference when discussing processes of nation-building and their interconnectedness with history and collective memory. Although his theory has acquired popularity well beyond its application to the French context, his influential seven-volume series (1984-1992) is not without its own shortcomings and failures, which have only occasionally been exposed over the last two decades.