ABSTRACT
When you have read the chapters in the two volumes of Aspects of Memory, you will be aware of the major current theoretical and practical issues that are being tackled by current researchers. However, to take just that snapshot of the present time and to ignore the presuppositions that have shaped the development of thinking about memory can leave the newcomer to the area with many unanswered questions and a sense of ‘Yes, but why these questions rather than…?’. Therefore, this chapter presents a brief history of the study of memory. In doing so, the hope is not only to provide a context to help explain the preconceptions and reactions of current researchers but also to highlight some of the themes that recur throughout the chapters of the two volumes. A full history of memory would require many volumes and a deeper consideration of the aims, preconceptions and world of those theorizing about memory in the past. Here, the object is to highlight some of the concepts that have shaped current theoretical ideas, many of which have a long history.
