Use of Collective Memories in Conflicts: A Peace Journalism Perspective in Representation of Therik e Taliban Talks with Pakistani Government

Journal of Media Studies, Vol 38, No 1 (2023)

Use of Collective Memories in Conflicts: A Peace Journalism Perspective in Representation of Therik e Taliban Talks with Pakistani Government

Muhammad Tarique, Lubna Shaheen, Sumera Batool

Abstract

Collective memories are shared past events that are communicated to people who may not have been present at the time. It is up to the media to decide how and when to transmit shared memories, as they play a crucial part in this process. When a peaceful resolution is taking place, memory as a reminder of the prior dispute or the use of conflicting memory during conflict are both determined to be significant factors. Memory and conflict are said to go hand in hand, so when the media links violence and conflict with previous events of the same kind, it attempts to resurrect the bitter experiences that individuals may or may not have had in the past. Bringing previous experiences to the forefront makes it difficult for people to think favourably or positively about a peaceful resolution of the conflict. This study investigates the use of conflicting collective memories in mainstream media representations of TTP talks with the Pakistani government. As a supplement, PJ was used in conjunction with CDA. The findings show that during the chosen time period, agonizing memories of the past were used as a context for new or recent events.

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