Narrating Personal Moments Through Social Images: Postcards as Souvenirs of Memorable Instances and Places

Papadaki, Eirini (2006) Narrating Personal Moments Through Social Images: Postcards as Souvenirs of Memorable Instances and Places. In: Narrative, Memory & Knowledge: Representations, Aesthetics, Contexts. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, pp. 55-62.

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Abstract

Postcards are purchased both as souvenirs – objects that authenticate past
experiences and speak through nostalgia – and as collection items – objects
that add to the narration of our personal past. They are sent to relatives and
friends as charismatic views of the sociality and culture of the visited other.
The postcard is purchased as a mass-produced view of a given society,
produced within the given societal borders. The handwriting of the personal
beneath the caption of the social transforms the public into private, the social
image into an individual memento.
This paper examines the role of postcard images as vehicles narrating past
instances. Pinned on one’s notice board, the social image is transformed into a
personal narration – one connected to one’s past and therefore worthy to be
remembered and talked about.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Additional Information:	Copyright for chapters remain with individual authors at all times and permission should be sought from the author for any reproduction other than for personal use.
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Schools:	School of Human and Health Sciences > Narrative and Memory Research Group > Narrative and Memory Research Group Annual Conference School of Human and Health Sciences
Related URLs:	Conference Organisation
Depositing User:	Cherry Edmunds
Date Deposited:	01 Jul 2009 15:20
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2016 20:12
URI:	http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/4901

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