Attitudes shape implicit temporal trajectories: A quantitative test of the narrative structure of collective memories of colonialism

Abstract

This article investigates how Belgian participants’ implicit temporal trajectories regarding the history of Belgian colonialism in the Congo vary as a function of their attitudes towards colonialism and thus create different collective memories. We reasoned that, depending on their attitudes towards Belgian colonialism, individuals may draw on different schematic narrative templates to structure their own implicit temporal trajectory of colonial history. Consequently, we predicted that the shape of individual implicit temporal trajectories should vary according to their attitudes. Specifically, we expected that positive attitudes towards colonialism would be associated with implicit temporal trajectories in which the colonial period is seen as more positive than before and after colonialism, creating an inverted U-shaped implicit temporal trajectory, while negative attitudes towards colonialism should be associated with the opposite trend – U-shaped implicit trajectories. We measured the attitudes towards colonialism of Belgian participants (n = 129), then their social representations of three historical periods: before, during and after Belgian colonialism. Overall, results supported these hypotheses. This study complements previous narrative psychology investigations by bringing quantitative evidence according to which collective memories are structured as implicit temporal trajectories that are in line with people’s attitudes.

Implicit intertemporal trajectories in cognitive representations of the self and nation

“…Evidence for an implicit temporal trajectory can be indicated by a change in the degree or direction of bias in the emotional valence of cognitive representations pertaining to at least two separate temporal periods. These two periods are typically the past and the future, although some researchers have fruitfully examined implicit temporal trajectories across multiple periods in the past, for example, in Belgian representations of colonialism and decolonization of the Congo (e.g., Lastrego et al, 2022 ). The relative fluency with which people retrieve events from a target period provides a behavioral measure of cognitive accessibility (i.e., the speed or ease with which representations from a particular domain come to mind).…”

How and why decolonial activists mobilize or challenge the victim status: The case of Belgium's Afro‐descendants

“…This participant emphasized the strength and welfare of the Congolese during pre‐colonial times. As previously mentioned, we expected pre‐colonial times to be presented predominantly in positive terms to illustrate that the Congolese had a better situation before the arrival of the colonizers (Lastrego et al, 2022). Furthermore, presenting pre‐colonial times positively is expected to strengthen present collective actions as it may allow to restore a sense of agency (Makanju et al, 2020).…”

“…Furthermore, a recent study showed that representations of the pre‐colonial situation in Congo varied according to the individual's attitude towards colonialism. If the person was anti‐colonial, then they tended to perceive pre‐colonial times as being more prosperous than colonial times (Lastrego, Janssens, Klein, & Licata, 2022). Our participants work towards decolonizing Belgium's public sphere, hence, they tended to describe pre‐colonial times in positive terms.…”

Varieties of frames structuring collective temporal thought.

“…This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.1 As did, for instance,Lastrego et al (2022) in targeting events before, during, and after Belgian colonization of the Congo in the collective memory of younger and older Belgians.FRAMES OF COLLECTIVE TEMPORAL THOUGHT…”

“…1As did, for instance, Lastrego et al (2022) in targeting events before, during, and after Belgian colonization of the Congo in the collective memory of younger and older Belgians.…”