Introduction Memory and identity

This introduction presents an overview of the literature on the trope of the ghost within memory and identity studies as examined in the subsequent chapters of the volume. It looks at the ghost’s deconstructive role both in time and space and suggests how the figure of the ghost has offered new insights into memory and cultural identity for a wide range of disciplines. In its presentation of the various sections, chapters and case studies to be found in the volume, the introduction underlines the need to consider the ghost trope in relation to the specific sociohistorical and cultural contexts of the English-speaking world.