Nature and (memory) culture

“‘Environment’ and ‘Memory’ are both notoriously elastic signifiers.” This observation by Lawrence Buell emphasises the challenge associated with any research involving the two concepts. The purpose of this chapter is to clarify the conceptual framework that supports the subsequent analysis, recognising recursivity in commemorative forms as inherent to memory cultures and reflecting their social, material, and mental dimensions. Theoretical approaches drawn from memory studies and cultural geography are accompanied by cross-cultural examples of modern tree-based commemorations that showcase possible parallels with the Jewish-Israeli context. Reflecting on forests perceived as spaces of both in-situ and ex-situ commemorations, this chapter introduces the category of environmental memorials, understood as commemorations that engage organic materials as both the building and the symbolically signifying substance.