Killing the Heirs of the Killers: Collective Memory, Religion and Violent Conflict

Abstract

This chapter considers the role of collective memory within the frame of religious traditions for the justification of violent conflict. In the first paragraphs, the relevance of the concept of cultural memory is explored in order to understand the way religious traditions relate to current situations of conflict. It is argued that these traditions are chains of memories and archives of symbols that are persistently referred to in texts, places, and rituals and are lived and interpreted through time. Parts of these chains are narratives, places, and rituals that provide insight about the opponents in tense situations where a religious group was endangered. These archival opponents can work as frames to deal with current situations. As a result, current conflicts may become religiously significant or meaningful as they are charged with the ‘religious memory’ of the group. The last paragraphs explain the Iranian Revolution where Reza Pahlavi was charged with the evil deeds of Yazid during the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979 and with the killing of Copts by a group alleged to be IS, who were charged with the traumatic meaning of the word ‘crusader’ in 2015. In both cases, the negative frame of the archival opponent is projected on current opponents who become the ‘heir’ of the past opponent. Violence against this current opponent becomes justified based on frames of collective memories.