THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PLACES OF MEMORY IN TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES: THE SAMPLE OF KASTAMONU
The memory enables remembering the events that left a trace in our mind and carrying the past to the present time. We can mention about collective memory as we can do about personal memory. A common history and sense of belonging constitute the basis of collective memory. An identity has been offered to the people forming a society by transferring a past event to present from generation to generation by means of different ways. Lots of factors have on impact on remembering the past. One of these factors is the places which are figures of remembrance. Any society that desires to survive; constitute places that have various meanings in order to transfer the collective identity to the future generations and in order to preserve their cultural, national and moral values. French philosopher Pierre Nora; used the term “places of memory” in order to explain the places that undertakes the duty of carrying memories except for human body. According to him the memory cannot exist and survive on its own. It needs to be protected and needs places to be able to be preserved there. The places can be used for educational goals. It is thought that we can achieve to teach basic knowledge, ability, valve, morals and manner about a nation’s history and culture via places of memory in teaching social studies. Therefore giving place to the places of memory, belonging to our country; in social sciences education is very essential in terms of on forgetting a nation’s history and embracing its cultural values and national identity and transferring these to the forthcoming generations. The aim of this research is to find out the places of memory that Kastamonu owns and to evaluate those places in term of teaching social studies.

Keywords
Places of memory, social studies, teaching social sciences, social memory.