The Reflection of Collective Memory in Architectural Studies

Today, interdisciplinary studies have found an important place in the literature of architectural studies. One of the new concepts in the field of historiography and social sciences is "collective memory". This concept was first discussed in detail by Maurice Halbwachs and later described and interpreted by other scholars in various scientific fields. Collective memories are events experienced by individuals in a social framework and in interaction with the group. The reminder of these memories occurs using the mechanism of association of meanings and through objects, individuals, places and similar experiences, and in other words, collective memory means a shared memory with a group or society. The collective memory has differences and similarities with history and is tied to the concepts of identity and social belonging and has a connection to the concept of place. Although the experience of a place occurs individually, the shared experiences resulting from social categories and individual characteristics resulting from these categories ultimately lead to the receiving, storage and recording of these receives within the framework of shared social memories.  In this article, by recognizing the different aspects of the concept of collective memory and its relationship with different areas of architectural studies, the quality of its use in architectural studies is examined, and some resources for this study are suggested. Accordingly, different texts have been explored by the interpretive method of study and by logical reasoning, the relationship between this concept and different fields of study has been proposed. This concept can be used in various stages of architectural studies such as studying religious buildings, creating memories in places, designing monumental spaces and studying the design of urban spaces. The relationship between this concept and architecture can be searched through sources such as written sources, visual and oral sources. Informal written sources are more honest and reliable in understanding collective memories related to architecture, and examining them critically can open valuable windows to understanding collective memories. Oral mediators of memories are also valuable resources that are somewhat immune to deliberate distortion. These oral sources can include the collective memories of ordinary people, technicians and builders of architectural works, the words of other witnesses and users of works, and the like. Collective memories can also be studied as an important and valuable part of the place and architectural works. The presence of collective memories in cities strengthens the sense of identity and belonging to the city. Collective memories are the main aspect of the study in some architectural works such as monuments. The continuity of life in religious buildings is closely related to the preservation and strengthening of collective memories, and also the life of public spaces and the extent to which people belong to them are correlated with the presence and continuity of collective memories. Different aspects of this concept can be identified and applied in different areas of architectural study. Collective memories at different stages of the development of human societies are recorded and stored in various sources. These sources can assist the researcher in such a study.