Lieux de Mémoire and Sites of De-Subjectivation

Abstract

This essay consists of four different elements that approach the nexus of memory, place/space and subjectivity in different ways. I start out with a description of the concept of lieux de mémoire as formulated by Pierre Nora, its connections to Marc Augé’s “non-places” and a critique of these ideas. I then discuss the postcolonial notion of Third Space as an alterna- tive approach to the nexus of memory and space. Finally, an archaeological example of a megalithic site in Jordan illustrates the advantages and difficulties of mobilizing the idea of Third Spaces in archaeological contexts.