By adopting Gauchet’s rationale on democratic modernity as theoretical framework, this article explores the link between citizenship and relationship to the past, from the point of view of the political philosophy of education. Nowadays, which definition could be adopted for an autonomous mode of historicity, supported by education? First, the importance of the link between democracy and history in Gauchet’s theory is clarified, considering what distinguishes his conception of citizenship from the one of Habermas. Then we briefly present the ins and outs of the aforementioned issue of relationship to the past in democratic modernity, which allowed us to progress towards a definition proposal for the concept of memorial, hence adding to the individual autonomy (considered as the capacity to steer oneself in a world of culture) the ability to steer oneself in time, and to appropriate one’s historical condition.