Abstract
Various attempts to conceptualize the often vaguely used term collective memory come to the conclusion that collective memory is deeply related to linguistic and narrative phenomena. In the present paper, I aim to provide an overview and discussion of the link between language and collective memory in the context of social theory.
In the case of the founding theoretical figures, M. Halbwachs and J.
Assmann, the importance of language in relation to the issues of collective memory is profound. In the past two decades, the specific role of narrative and conversation had become an important subject in researching collective memory.
In empirical research, on the other hand, the relationship of language and collective memory seems to be rather underrepresented. Various fields and disciplines deal with similar topics quite differently, and they also differ in the degree of explicit scrutiny of the collective memory phenomena.