Abstract

The memory and the oblivion are the two coordinates which define the cultural identity. In this context the history is the result of the interactions between these two coordinates. The paper presents the relationship between memory and oblivion, emphasizing the special role of the oblivion and also trying to diminish the categorical opposition between memory and oblivion. The history is the product of a selection process of information, a process which is intimately bound up with the dynamics of the two most important coordinates of the individual and national cultural identity.