Cultural memory, cultural history and cultural canons in the third millennium

The debate about the validity of Western cultural canons, their vitality, importance and/or the need to deconstruct if not abolish them altogether because of their past (and present?) political functions, is certainly an issue where cultural (and/or literary) history and theory meet. So is the related discussion of literature and other cultural artifacts as components of national identities and cultural memories. And consequently, so is the related issue of the ethical problem involved in the production of cultural/literary histories that necessarily contribute to canon formation.