That Which Is “Not:” Forgetting …

This article adopts a poststructural perspective to challenge the legitimization given to the exclusionary study of “the apparent” in memory. It is our contention that this approach neglects the development of a necessary and concurrent understanding of the contribution provided by the “less-apparent”—forgetting. It is argued that our preoccupation with the apparent obscures the relationship between memory and forgetting, resulting in a misguided, or at least a too-limited set of understandings associated with both. Through a deconstructive interdisciplinary approach, a new intelligibility of memory, grounded in an understanding of forgetting, is offered. From this perspective the consumer is cast as a constructive inquirer ( homo enquirean ) rather than as a retention bin ( homo estoreran ) to reveal what is being constructed and why. This change in perspective provides new avenues for research into consumer behavior and marketing strategy, which are discussed.