There is a pronounced interest for ‘European memory’ within scientific and public discourse. However, character and even existence of such a ‘European memory’ are controversial. Research on the topic has methodologically hardly gone beyond the conceptual homogeneity of nation-state oriented questions. In fact, considerations on the topic lack self-referential control. The working group aimed to find ways to take the polyphony of a supposedly “European memory” into account, based on a dialogue between conceptual/theoretical and empirical work. Challenges to considerations of memory across groups going beyond the national frame were to be formulated on a theoretical level. The theoretical premises were investigated with case studies obliged to the method of synchronic and diachronic comparison. Problems and perspectives of this practise were applied to the conceptual understanding of memory in a third step. This workshop brought together young as well as established researchers with an interest in memory coming from the social sciences, cultural studies or with a historical perspective.
Participants
Alejandro Baer (Bayreuth), Silja Behre (Bielefeld/Paris), Mathias Berek (Leipzig), Oliver Dimbath (Augsburg), Sonja Kmec (Luxemburg), Helmut König (Aachen), Jörn Leonhard (Freiburg i.Br.), Jeffrey K. Olick (Charlottesville, VA), Klaus Oschema (Heidelberg), Agata Sadowska (Konstanz)
