From Lived Tradition to Visual Memory: Film, Cultural Memory, and Endangered Ethnic Cultures

In the context of modernization, many ethnic minority cultures face disruptions in lived cultural transmission. As everyday practices weaken, film increasingly functions as a key medium through which cultural memory is preserved and circulated. Drawing on Jan Assmann's theory of cultural memory and recent memory studies, this paper examines how film participates in shaping Mongolian minority cultural memory. The study argues that film is not a neutral recording device, but a structured visual system that selects and reorganizes cultural practices through framing, sequencing, and aesthetic emphasis. Through this visual logic, certain practices are transformed into recognizable memory-images, while others remain marginal. As a result, film simultaneously stabilizes cultural visibility and reshapes cultural meaning.