Ars Memoriae Reading Group

Ars Memoriae – The Memory Studies Reading Group

Who Are We?

This reading group aims to promote and generate awareness about the upcoming discipline of memory studies while also recognising the pressing need to synthesise memory studies scholarship with purposeful cultural analysis.

Inspired by the Latin phrase ars memoriae, ‘the art of memory,’ our fortnightly reading group seeks to interrogate memory in all its forms while placing literary texts at the core of our conversations. As memories and the process of memory-making are fundamental to human existence, entering a dialogue with memory will inevitably require us to engage with pertinent questions of history, politics, sociology, psychology, and so on. While thinking outside the box is an essential aspect of critical inquiry today, the happening realm of memory studies, via its focus on memory, asks us a crucial question: What is a box, and do we really need one?

Ars Memoriae cordially invites all graduate students to participate in this communal and academic interrogation of memory, from the personal to the political, the local to the transnational, within disciplines and without, the ordinary to the extraordinary.

In addition to TORCH, we are also supported by the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at Wolfson College.

What We Do:

With literary texts and interdisciplinary scholarship that foreground memory in their discourse as our scaffolds, we, as a reading group, will think, discuss, and interrogate memory in all its forms. Our aim is also to facilitate the creation of a space where everyone can reflect on the role and place of memory in their own research and how it connects with contemporary issues of the world around us.

How We Do It:

The reading group will meet alternately (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8) of Hilary Term 2024. Prior to each session, a short reading list will be circulated.

First Session: 5:30 pm on Monday, 22nd January 2024 (Seminar Room 2, Wolfson College)

Second Session: 5:30 pm on Monday, 5th February 2024 (Seminar Room 2, Wolfson College)

Third Session: 5:30 pm on Monday, 19th February 2024 (Seminar Room 2, Wolfson College)

Fourth Session: 5:30 pm on Monday, 4th March 2024 (Seminar Room 2, Wolfson College)

Towards the end of the academic year, we also intend to organise a research seminar where participants can present their research in progress in connection to memory studies and receive feedback on it.

While participants are encouraged to read as many texts on the reading list as possible, the discussions will mostly revolve around the two novels, with ideas from the secondary texts scaffolding them. The secondary texts are optional.

Convenors:

For any queries or suggestions, please contact us - we would love to hear from you:

Shivani Arulalan Pillai – DPhil Candidate, Faculty of English (shivani.arulalanpillai@sant.ox.ac.uk)

Malavika P Pillai – DPhil Candidate, Faculty of English (malavika.pillai@sant.ox.ac.uk)

Smriti Verma – DPhil Candidate, Faculty of English (smriti.verma@wolfson.ox.ac.uk)

The Ars Memoriae Reading Group is part of TORCH Student Networks