Abstract
In Steven Universe, the Crystal Gems, as sole survivors of a devastating war thousands of years in the past, face a unique challenge in articulating and sustaining a coherent cultural narrative. Thomas argues that the contrast between their individual recollections of events and their carefully constructed cultural memory is brought into sharp relief whenever the Gems are tasked with explaining their history to Steven. This tension is echoed in the interactions between the vernacular culture/memory introduced by Steven and the official culture/memory imposed by the Diamond Authority. In exploring how cultures are created, learned, and altered by points of resistance, Rebecca Sugar and her team offer a possible path toward cultural and mnemonic reconciliation, using the healing of the corrupted Gems as a model for addressing the crimes that post-conflict cultures attempt to repress.
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Thomas, E. (2020). Change Your Mind: Cultural Memory and Reconciliation. In: Ziegler, J., Richards, L. (eds) Representation in Steven Universe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31881-9_11
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