Forced Oblivion

Cancel Culture and Historical Identity

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22201581
AutoresOksana Golovashina (0000-0002-9911-175X, Ural Federal University), Roman Yu Batishchev (0000-0002-7820-8835, Ural Federal University)
Ano2025
Volume9
Fascículo3
Páginas706-721
Data de publicação2025-10-10
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoChanging Societies and Personalities (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2587-6104 • E-ISSN: 2587-8964
EditoraUral Federal University (PUBLISHER • RU)
DOI10.15826/csp.2025.9.3.349
OpenAlexW4415387691
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas18

This article examines cancel culture as a form of enforced forgetting that shapes the social and historical identity of large communities. Focusing on cases in Russia, the analysis explores instances where historical events or periods have been deliberately rejected. As a tool of memory politics, cancel culture operates through public denunciations of the past, serving as a mechanism for political actors to legitimize themselves and construct identity. The article also explores ways of mitigating the negative effects of this culture. The first section discusses cancel culture in relation to the erasure of specific historical periods or events, arguing that it is a distinct form of the politics of forgetting that extends beyond it, involving violations of historicism, presentism, and universalism. While claiming to restore historical justice and inclusivity, cancel culture ultimately opposes meritocracy by undermining individual achievements. The second section examines strategies to counteract cancel culture, highlighting the fact that since decontextualization is central to its operation, the primary corrective mechanism should be recontextualization, which involves restoring historical context through a comprehensive narrative and an appropriate descriptive framework. Additionally, the discussion shifts from an ethical approach to memory politics toward an instrumental one. Finally, the article advocates for an agonistic memory framework that acknowledges the multi-actor nature of political and social processes

Collective memory · Forgetting · Meritocracy · Narrative · Politics · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy