Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Claudia Höhne
Has German remembrance culture failed?
German society is changing and with it its relationship to the past and perspectives on remembrance: Can German memory culture keep the histories of an increasingly diverse society alive? What blind spots exist and what perspectives need to be integrated in order to create a sustainable culture of remembrance? Journalist Victoria Reichelt debated these questions with cultural scientist Aleida Assmann and literary scholar and curator Ibou Diop.
A world champion of remembrance?
Germany is internationally recognised as a role model when it comes to coming to terms with its Nazi past. Hardly any other country invests so many resources in dealing with its own history, reminding people of the crimes of National Socialism and commemorating its victims. However, critics have long warned that the established, institutionalised culture of remembrance has failed in its current form. Is political responsibility displacing ‘remembrance from below’ and has the culture of remembrance increasingly become a means of political self-assurance?
Against this backdrop, Aleida Assmann and Ibou Diop addressed the question of whether the German culture of remembrance in its current form is up to date and what a culture of remembrance of tomorrow might look like. Due to migration and globalisation, Germany is much more diverse today than it was in the 1980s or 1990s. While coming to terms with Nazi crimes is firmly anchored in the culture of remembrance, other historical traumas remain far less present. The reappraisal of colonial crimes and (post-)migrant voices have still hardly found a place in the German culture of remembrance. Although there has been an increased debate about German colonial history in recent years, its reappraisal remains marginal. This can be seen, for example, in the delayed recognition of the genocide of the Herero and Nama.
The panel emphasised the need for a ‘multi-perspective culture of remembrance’ – politics can provide a framework, but this must be filled and actively shaped by civil society. Remembrance should not be limited to individual groups or historical events, but should create a common understanding of shared historical responsibility. This includes reflecting Germany’s cultural diversity; only in this way can a multi-layered, multi-faceted confrontation with the past succeed.
Assmann and Diop called for a reorientation of the culture of remembrance towards a pluralistic, more diverse form that includes all parts of society, because a purely institutionalised, nationalised form of remembrance is not enough – and artistic projects and digital formats can help to create new approaches to the past and keep memories alive.