Before the Fire is Extinguished: The Commemoration Work at Nazi Memorial Sites as a Project of Political Learning

The original title: Bevor die Glut verlöscht: Die Erinnerungsarbeit an NS-Tatorten als ein Politisches Lernprojekt

(In Jahrbuch für Pädagogik 2003)

The author reflects upon his experience of reconstructing Nazi history in Germany. All efforts to spread light upon the dark sides of this history end up in the attempt to break the collective silence and to retune the song from “the good old times.” Memorial sites pedagogy and educational policies must decide the relevance of the past for the present, expose local Nazi history, and set the gaze, across the wall of silence, on the future. Tangible memory work and personal experiences of pain are steps towards makingxsubmerged memories, obliterated traces and forgotten places useful again for an education for democracy and tolerance. (Written by publisher)

The above abstract is taken from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Education Research Project. Please also consult the full list of abstracts in 15 languages and the accompanying publication Research in Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust: A Dialogue Beyond Borders. Ed: IHRA, Monique Eckmann, Doyle Stevick, Jolanta Ambrosewicz-Jacobs, 2017, Metropol Verlag at www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/publications.