Abstract
What does it mean to remember? In a diverse society, whose memories are illuminated, and whose are repressed? Drawing from Halbwachs’ and Nora’s theories of memory as well as the study of political apologies, this paper tracks the evolution of collective memory of Vichy in France from the end of the Occupation to present-day. Leaders in French society and politics—Charles de Gaulle, Francois Mitterrand, and Jacques Chirac—all left their unique mark on collective memory through their engagement (or lack thereof) with cultural and legal contestations over Vichy. In 1995, following the heavily publicized trials of Klaus Barbie and Paul Touvier, and the Gayssot Law criminalizing Holocaust Denial, President Chirac departed radically from his predecessors by publicly acknowledging the French state’s culpability in Vichy—in the expatriation, deportation, and genocide of millions of French Jews. Importantly, his official recognition of responsibility transformed the national dialogue from one focused on defense of the State to an acknowledgment of the victims’ trauma, effectively re-naturalizing French Jews in the national consciousness. Chirac’s apology thus suggests avenues for national reconciliation and demonstrates the power of law and culture in shifting the politics of memory.