The Politics and Art of Memory: Current Trends

Catalog description

Russia assaults Ukraine to 'reclaim historically Russian territories' and portrays Ukraine as a neo-Nazi regime; statues of colonizers, slave holders and Civil War generals are toppled (and re-erected); victims of slavery, racial terror or genocidal violence call for reparations (and are largely silenced); museums and memorials are designed (and redesigned) and solicit mixed responses—re-presentations of the past are hotly contested and ensuing debates seem unreconcilably polarized. Monuments and other portrayals of the past are closely tied to contemporary political developments like the rise of populism and authoritarianism, decolonization, or the end of the Cold War. Debates about memory make us ponder: who do we want to be, as individuals, communities and societies? whose lives are valued? and how do we deal with difficult histories and crimes of the past that continue to produce harm or even trigger new trauma and loss? This course explores the relationship between memory politics and recent and contemporary political developments nationally and globally through case studies. Short lectures, selected readings, media surveys and other sources help us explore the construction of narratives of the past and their relation to identity formation, the role and significance of museums and memorials, and activist strategies proposing more inclusive portrayals of the past. The interdisciplinary approach invites students to ponder the importance of remembering and forgetting, the (im)possibility of repair, and why we should care when memory is being politicized. The course is open to all and requires no pre-requisites.