| In the early twentieth century, French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs wrote of "collective memory" as a social construct, dependent upon the needs of the group creating it. Historian Michael Kammen expanded upon this when he observed that "societies in fact reconstruct their pasts rather than faithfully record them, and that they do so with the needs of contemporary culture clearly in mind---manipulating the past in order to mold the present." As such, memory of the past is a powerful tool wielded by groups and nations for the attainment of goals in the present.;Many historians consider the U.S.--Mexican War a "forgotten war" due to its association with American imperialism and because it was overshadowed by the Civil War. While partially correct, the war nonetheless remains an important component of the collective remembrance of several groups on both sides of the border. Since 1848, each generation has attempted to shape a collective memory of the conflict in the context of its ethnic, social, political, and economic environments. Memory of the war therefore assumes many forms and serves a variety of masters.;This study investigates how the memory of the war has evolved over the last 160 years and to what ends. It seeks to understand how the tools of memory (books, popular culture, historic sites, heritage groups, and museums) have shaped the multifaceted meaning of the conflict. Further, it explores how regional, racial, and religious differences influence Americans and Mexicans in their choices to remember and commemorate the war. Finally, it documents what happens when group memories conflict and compete in a quest for dominance.;This study differs from previous research by considering the construction of memory in a war steeped in ambivalence and denial. Here memory seeks to assuage, rationalize, and protect national honor, racial pride, and ethnic identity. This will also be the first work to cross the border to recover Mexico's memory of the conflict. A transnational, comparative analysis offers a unique opportunity to understand fully the making of memory, and how the past becomes a means to identity, solidarity, and power in the present. |
