+++ Important Information! Due to technical difficulties the livestream is not complete. You will find the full recording here in a few days.+++
After tyrannies, dictatorships or wars, every society and every state is faced with the question of how to deal with the crimes committed, with the victims and perpetrators. The forms of dealing with the past are very diverse. The ten-part event series “Transitional Justice” aims to show different aspects of social and legal processes of coming to terms with the past after system upheavals and to provide insights into the culture and politics of remembrance in their respective national contexts. The series will be moderated by Tamina Kutscher, editor-in-chief of dekoder.org.
When talking about dictatorships in Europe after 1945, the focus is mostly on Eastern Europe. However, the often “forgotten dictatorships” in Spain, Portugal and Greece, which existed until the mid-1970s, are hardly recognised in public historical consciousness. Despite the rapid transition towards stabile democracies and their membership in the European Community, for a long time only a few people there critically dealt with their own past. Years of silence about the dictatorial past blocked important processes such as a criminal investigation, the use of truth commissions or the exchange of elites. Social debates have only been initiated in the recent past. How did the years of silence about the past affect these societies to this day? How did the system upheavals take place, and what effects did they have on post-dictatorial societies and their way of dealing with the past? What challenges and tasks do the democratic societies face today when dealing with their dictatorial history? And is there a connection between the lack of social engagement with the past and the increasing popularity of populist and Eurosceptic movements? The panel discussion “Without History? (No) Dealing with the Past in Spain, Portugal and Greece” on January 25, 2022, will address these and other questions.
The discussion will be held in German and English, simultaneously translated and broadcasted on two livestreams in German and English. You are welcome to participate with questions and comments in the YouTube chat or via email to veranstaltungen@bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de.
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