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Department of English, University of Victoria "Symbols are what
unite and divide people. Symbols give us our identity, our self-
image, our way of explaining ourselves to others. Symbols in
turn determine the kinds of stories we tell; and the stories we
tell determine the kind of history we make and remake." -- Mary
Robinson, Inauguration speech as President of Ireland, December
3, 1990 In recent years museums, archives, and libraries have
become known increasingly as "memory institutions," a phrase
reflecting our growing awareness of what is called cultural or
collective memory. Originally coined by Maurice Halbwachs,
"Collective Memory" distinguish