fortíðarperception

Fortíðarperception is a proposed cognitive-cultural phenomenon describing how individuals and groups perceive the past by integrating episodic memories, semantic knowledge, and present-day concerns into a coherent interpretation of historical events.

The term is a neologism combining fortíð (Icelandic for past) with perception, and is used primarily in interdisciplinary discussions within memory studies, historiography, and media studies to capture how contemporary contexts shape recollection.

Fortíðarperception operates through reconstructive memory, narrative framing, and social mediation. When recalling or studying past events, people selectively retrieve details, fill gaps with plausible inferences, and interpret events through current beliefs, emotions, and identities. Media representations, education, and public discourse provide schemas that influence which aspects of the past are foregrounded or marginalized. The process can yield coherent stories but may also distort historical accuracy.

Fortíðarperception intersects with presentism, collective memory, nostalgia, and media historiography. Unlike purely episodic memory, it emphasizes the dynamic re-interpretation of the past in light of present conditions.

Researchers use the concept to explain divergent historical narratives across cultures or political contexts. Critics caution that it risks conflating memory reconstruction with objective history and can obscure the distinction between experience, bias, and evidence.

In summary, fortíðarperception describes the constructive and context-dependent way in which the past is perceived and communicated, highlighting how memory, culture, and present concerns shape our understanding of history.