cover image of “What’s the point of history… if we never learn?” Dialogue, Remembrance and Solidarity in Europe. project

    “What’s the point of history… if we never learn?” Dialogue, Remembrance and Solidarity in Europe. New Challenges for Public History and Historical Education

    16-17 October 2023, Schloßplatz 10178 Berlin, Saal 1 (Portal 3)

    Almost 80 years after the Second World War and 25 after the war in former Yugoslavia, fighting continues in Europe yet again.
    The Russian attack on Ukraine has challenged our certainty that we have learned the right lessons from the past.


    The politics of memory of any given country is not always identical with the memory policy of civil society. Occasionally even the discourse about a common European past that began at the turn of the millennium, serving as the foundation of a European community able to act in unison, seems to be called into question. Given such diversity of experiences, is a common memory possible at all? Can national interests and international solidarity be reconciled? And last but not least: what challenges do European practices of remembrance and historical education face in the light of the migratory movements of recent years?


    The Berlin event aims to showcase the diversity of perspectives that serve as a basis for discussing the current challenges for history teaching in public spaces and historical education. During the forum, we wish to focus on a shared conversation about the past and its importance for seeking the truth, peace, democracy, freedom and tolerance, as well as for a remembrance that respects differences, looks for connections and strengthens understanding and solidarity in Europe.

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