Germany & Poland
Applications accepted through April 5th
Modern Memory and Identity
What is the role of historical memory in the formulation of individual and national identities in contemporary post-Holocaust and post-communist Poland and former East Germany?
This seminar creates a space for inquiry into this timeless, yet contemporary question. Using three thematic perspectives—arts, literature, and culture; institutions and education; and place and memorial, participants will explore the construction and transmission of memory. Through lectures and discussions with experts, opinion leaders, and local people of all ages, seminar participants will explore complex and powerful notions of memory in parallel with fascinating site visits in Berlin and Krakow, two thriving cities that have rapidly risen from the ashes of their wartime and socialist pasts.
Throughout this journey, participants will examine the themes of ruin and revival, memory and forgetting, continuity and disjuncture, real and invented truths. Special attention will be paid to the consciousness of a new generation of Poles and Germans—their past, present, and future. Our visit to Krakow will correspond with the vibrant Jewish Culture Festival.
Locations
Berlin, Germany, and Krakow, Poland