Recovering Memory, Choosing Forgetting

Reading My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947- A Documentary

Abstract

In this article, we, the authors, wish to explore questions of memory and history through and in an analytical reading of partition narratives and a documentary titled My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947 (2017). Our analysis intends to explore the distinction between memory and history and map its implications for story-telling using ideas from memory studies, partition narratives, and documentary film production. For argument, we intend to engage the cultural and personal choice between memory and forgetting and its implications for reconciliation, restoration, and justice. In conclusion, the authors wish to comment on the underlying purposes and function of memory recovery and the form of documentary storytelling.