The collective memory of dominant parties in parliamentary discourse

Reut Itzkovitch-Malka, Shaul R. Shenhav, Gideon Rahat, Reuven Y. Hazan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

When the past is contested by political actors, it can play a notable role both in present and in future politics. This is especially true when it comes to the memory of dominant parties, which are part and parcel of political and national history. Focusing on dominant parties in parliamentary democracies, this article examines the memory dynamics of a dominant party after its demise and highlights the importance of memory modes in understanding these dynamics. Using theories of collective memory, it identifies four possible modes of memory in a post-dominance era, suggesting discursive and power-related indications for each mode. The article then utilizes this framework to examine the memory of Mapai, the once-dominant party in Israel. On the basis of this analysis, the authors propose hypotheses concerning the comparative cases of Sweden, Italy, and Japan.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)489-500
Number of pages12
JournalParty Politics
Volume27
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.

Keywords

  • dominant party
  • memory dynamic
  • parliamentary discourse
  • post-dominance

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