Monuments and Memory

Some National or Local Monuments – have you ever seen these? Educator Places several slides of local or national monuments below and asks learners if they are familiar with these Some National or Local Monuments – have you ever seen these? IMAGES HERE

Remembering war and conflict What happened during the conflict? What were the possible causes of the conflict? What were the consequences of the conflict? Who were the victims? Who were the perpetrators ? How can we best commemorate what happened?

Who plays a role in commemoration? Activists and Educators Government Victims and survivors (civilians) Veterans (soldiers) Artists

Remembering war and conflict Monuments, statues, cemeteries, buildings, (official) sites of memory… Remembering war and conflict History textbooks, Media Memorials Museums, (inofficial) places of memory, street names Film, literature, Arts Ceremonies, Remembrance days, Streetnames

Decisions to be made when building a monument Who do we involve in the process of creating a monument? Who do we commemorate? What kind of message do we want to get across? Where will we commemorate? What design will we choose? How do we let people know about it? How large should it be?

Who do we commemorate? Victims/Survivors Soldiers Rescuers/helpers Places, objects.. Crimes committed by the enemy vs crimes committed by one’s own army What about gender differences (women as often as men)?

What will the message be? Keeping the memory alive! Remembering and Acknowledging Wartime suffering of victims Honoring and mourning Guilt of perpetrators Provoking and Blaming Selective remembering and forgetting Glorifying and Denying Never again! Educating, Advocacy and Warning

Where will we commemorate? What will it look like? Design Abstract vs. Figurative Location Authentic vs. Symbolic Process Dominant voices versus Minority voices Approach Political versus Educational