Anna Chrusciel
Department of Cultural Policy, University of Hildesheim, Germany
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Published in: NaMu; Making National Museums Program; Setting the Frames; 26-28 February; Norrköping; Sweden
Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 22:6, p. 69–75
Published: 2007-09-19
ISBN:
ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)
By taking Berlin as an example; this paper will focus on questions of commemorating and representing history of the Hol?caust as a constructive process that is strongly connected to the circumstances of the present. It will question the social role of National Museums in Germany by presenting different examples; which respond directly to the German Governments ambition of encouraging civil courage and democracy.
By presenting examples of smaller; more biographical National Museums like the Museum Workshop for the Blind that focus on the resistance to National Socialism by using authentic places and telling one individual story; the paper will question and re-think the role of National Museums and their possible impact on positive social and global changes with respect specifically to the German identity-finding process.
Due to the fact that the Holocaust is not the focus of my PhD research; I will draw upon my experiences in working in the Jewish Museum Berlin for four years. Then; rather than presenting results; the paper will conclude with open questions for further discussion.
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