Rekidiv

Rekidiv is a fictional theoretical framework used in science fiction and speculative discourse to describe the ongoing process by which individuals and societies reinterpret and reclassify past events when new information, perspectives, or technologies emerge. The term is typically used to analyze how memories, narratives, and archives adapt over time, and how digital curation systems influence which interpretations gain prominence.

Origin and usage: Since appearing in late-21st-century speculative fiction and subsequent critical writing, rekidiv has been employed to discuss memory governance, historiography, and identity formation in data-saturated societies. It is not a formal discipline, but a heuristic for exploring revision and reinterpretation as dynamic processes rather than fixed records.

Core concepts: Rekidiv emphasizes iterative revision, provenance and traceability of changes, and the role of automated and human editors in shaping collective memory. Proponents argue it helps capture complexity and context; critics warn it can encourage relativism or manipulation if worn as a blanket justification for altering histories.

Implications: In narrative theory, rekidiv offers a lens to examine how characters reconstruct their biographies. In archival and information studies, it frames debates about versioning, error correction, and the ethics of memory alteration in digital systems.

See also: memory, historiography, revisionism, archival science, data governance.