Prof. Dr. Astrid Erll

Transformations of political violence also happen in processes of collective memory.

In my re­search, I focus on the dynamics between political violence and collective memory. Truth commissions, com­memorative culture, history books, or everyday acts of storytelling trans­form political violence into collective memory. But me­mory is not just a re­trospective act. It also preforms future violence. This is why I am interested in narratives and mnemonic images of violence. I compare the ‘afterlives’ of co­lonial violence in the Global South with the dynamics of post­colonial and post­imperial memories in Europe. In doing so, I examine the shaping role of media culture and the emer­gence and framing of memory in new media. I put a special emphasis on the analysis of current debates about comparing the Holocaust and co­lonialism (the ‘Historians’ debate 2.0).

Research Area Interpretations: 3.2 Memories of Violence