Erinnerungsbedarf

Whose memories are made visible, whose invisible? Memory has been and continues to be politically charged. 

The conference will explore possibilities and gaps in dealing with cultures of remembrance. In interrelated contributions, scholars, members of affected communities and artists will discuss the cultural and political commemoration of racist violence. A number of questions arise in Austria today: Why are some groups of victims of the Holocaust, such as Roma and Sinti or Yenish, still barely represented in the collective memory? Why are the people targeteted with violence – from Jews to Muslims and queer communities – not sufficiently heard when it comes to decisions on remembrance policy? Why are racist hate crimes such as the murder of Marcus Omofuma by Austrian police officers in 1999 not permanently commemorated in public?

The conference also poses questions about transnational, supranational forms of remembrance. How do racist terrorist attacks – e.g. Hanau 2020 – affect minorities in other European countries? Which memories do migrants bring to Europe? How do we remember the victims of asylum policy in Europe? 

This is what Tangente St. Pölten, the Institute for Jewish History in Austria INJOEST – which has been located in St. Pölten for 35 years – and the network Coalition for Pluralistic Public Discourse, CPPD, Berlin, want to talk about with those affected. After all, isn’t it necessary to integrate the commemoration of violent events both locally and collectively into memory and thus strengthen coexistence in a diverse society?