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Psychology Professor Bridget Robinson-Riegler talks to Star Tribune about memory and identity

Ferris wheel at night
The Midway at the Minnesota State Fair. Photo: Tom Wallace, Star Tribune

The Star Tribune’s John Reinan talks with Augsburg Psychology Professor Bridget Robinson-Riegler about how the Great Minnesota Get-Together “not only entertains us, excites us and exhausts us — it makes us Minnesotans.”

“Our identity is formed by our memories. Traditions and rituals are very important in identifying who we are,” said Robinson-Riegler, who specializes in the study of memory. “Families are based on shared experiences, and this is one of those shared experiences we have as a state. The State Fair becomes a collective experience. It gives us a sense of belonging, of togetherness.

“This is what we do as a state. It confirms our identity. It becomes who we are.”

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