Recording from the 8th discussion within the To Understand Memory series, from 26 June 2025.
Do you get tired of looking at war?
Walking down the street you see: a monument commemorating fighting soldiers, a plaque commemorating murdered civilians, a billboard with a propaganda slogan. A newspaper with a photograph from the front lies on the street, someone has sent you a new meme with Putin, you are watching a recording from the trenches.
Culture reacts to catastrophe in different ways: sometimes it can distort it, sometimes it helps us understand it. The 80th anniversary of the end of World War II is a moment to reflect on what images of war we see every day and whether they talk about the past - and the present - in a responsible, accurate and important way.
Listen to the conversation with Keith Lowe, historian and author of Prisoners of History, which explores the monuments that shape our memory of World War II, and Tomasz Szerszeń, essayist and author of Being a Guest in a Catastrophe, a reflection on the visual language of war in Ukraine.
The discussion is hosted by Małgorzata Pakier, head of the Academic Department at the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity.
Learn more about the To Understand Memory series here.