The Labour of Memory

Reviews / Votes

'An intriguing look into the relationship between memory and work, Allen offers a sensitive and compelling study of remembrance in response to the 2005 London bombings. Filled with original empirical data from interviews conducted with 'memory choreographers', he provides an illuminating account of the material and immaterial production of remembrance. The theoretical range of his analysis is remarkable.' - Adrian Parr, University of Cincinnati, USA

'By reading memorializing practices through the lens of political economy, The Labour of Memory opens up an entirely new terrain for memory studies. In this provocative new study, Allen considers the affective and 'immaterial' labour of memory in the aftermath of the London bombings, and in so doing lays the groundwork for a materialist conception of memory work. - Alison Landsberg, George Mason University, USA

'A study brimming with new ideas about cultural memory. In Matthew Allen's political economy-approach, the understanding of 7/7-remembrance as "work" opens up many fresh vistas: from the management of subjectivity to the role of finance and to cosmopolitan care.' - Astrid Erll, Professor of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany

'Matthew Allen skilfully argues that memory of an event like 7/7 does not simply flow spontaneously forward, but instead requires careful acts of shaping and directing remembrance and memorialisation. He also demonstrates how remembering, even when the cause is painful or traumatic, can revitalise and bring people together in new ways, making the practice of remembering a creative endeavour in its own right.' - Michael Pickering, Professor of Media and Cultural Analysis, Loughborough University, UK