Cultural Memory and Identity Formation: A Humanities Perspective

Abstract

Cultural memory serves as a vital mechanism through which societies preserve shared histories, myths, and traditions, shaping collective identity across generations. Unlike individual memory, which is confined to personal experience, cultural memory is socially constructed, transmitted, and ritualized through language, symbols, literature, art, and institutions. This paper explores how cultural memory influences identity formation from a humanities perspective, focusing on literature, historiography, folklore, and public commemorative practices. It investigates how cultural memory serves as a site of continuity and transformation, enabling individuals and communities to negotiate their place within the modern world. Drawing on case studies from postcolonial contexts, diasporic communities, and indigenous revitalization movements, this study employs textual analysis and survey-based empirical data to evaluate the significance of memory in shaping cultural identity. Findings indicate that cultural memory acts as a stabilizing force amid global change, providing a framework for self-understanding while also offering tools for resistance and renewal. The study concludes that memory‐based identity construction is an evolving process mediated by cultural production, political power, and social participation in the humanities.