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The Community "Looking Across the Net": The Mechanism of Collective Memory Formation and Cultural Construction in University Volleyball Teaching

Author(s)

Hanhua Zhao

Affiliation(s)

School of Sports Law, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, China

Abstract

Volleyball is a sport governed by a net-a six-meter-long barrier that delineates distinct relational dynamics between teammates and opponents on either side. This "net" not only cultivates a team spirit of "never abandoning or giving up" through defensive saves and comeback strategies during training, but also serves as an identity boundary separating "self" from "others" in teaching and competitive settings, directly giving rise to cyclical tournament structures like round-robin matches and championships. Drawing on Habwach's collective memory theory and Asman's cultural memory theory, this paper systematically analyzes the mechanisms of collective memory formation in college volleyball instruction, revealing its internal logic of evolving from shared experiences to cultural construction. The study demonstrates that college volleyball communities develop collective memory through three pathways: shared physical practices, ritualized activities, and narrative transmission, with spatial symbolism, symbolic cohesion, and identity formation providing the cultural framework. Symbolic elements of campus culture-such as competition arenas, consecutive championship records, and slogans-serve as core bonds maintaining community unity.

Keywords

University Volleyball; Collective Memory; Community; Generative Mechanism; Cultural Construction

References

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