ABSTRACT
Edmund Burke’s great primeval contract envisions time in a long duration – as a lengthy continuum between generations. Medium time comprises decades and even centuries of economic and social time. The past is not encountered in a vacuum but experienced within a longer time-frame. While mindful of how certain events stand out in the long duration of historical time, Reinhart Koselleck’s metaphor of history as layers of time allows for the prominence of certain events, their aftermaths and different durations. Nostalgia is the desire to return to a lost time and place that is elsewhere. Holocaust memorials are intended to slow ordinary time, in order to allow for reflection. However, the spontaneous playfulness of selfies may unwittingly rupture memorial spaces that are intended for commemorative reflection. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
