What can be learned from “the Germans”? What have “the Germans” yet to learn?
For many countries, the “German model” of coming to terms with the past has long been considered exemplary with regard to the Holocaust. Many saw that the “Vergangenheitsbewältigung” could serve as a model for other “difficult histories”. Yet in recent years, this model’s character has come under scrutiny: The debate around the Humboldt Forum showed that Germany has widely ignored other dark chapters in its history, such as its colonial past. Furthermore, it triggered the question of how to place the different histories of violence into relation with one another and whether, as Michael Rothberg puts it, memories of atrocity must stand in hierarchical relationship to one another. The rise of populism in Germany has led to a renaissance of allegedly overcome narratives that want to avoid “difficult chapters” completely and focus on other, more “glorious” moments of the past instead.
So, where does this leave us?
This round table brings together four leading experts from Germany, the US and the UK to discuss these pressing questions of our time: Corinne Fowler, Susan Neiman, Michael Rothberg and Mark Terkessidis. BBC Radio 4‘s Samira Ahmed will moderate the session.
In collaboration with the German Historical Institute.
Tickets available here
