“Simply a little piece of GDR history”?: The Role of Memorialization in Post-Socialist Transitional Justice in Germany

Sara Jones

doi:10.2979/histmemo.27.1.154

“Simply a little piece of GDR history”? The Role of Memorialization in Post-Socialist Transitional Justice in Germany

Sara Jones

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

543 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Focusing on the Berlin Stasi prison memorial, Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, this article considers the role that memorialization might play in transitional justice as a form of symbolic reparation situated between vengeance and forgiveness. Through narrative analysis of interviews with former political prisoners, it traces the importance of memorialization for victims of human rights abuses in terms of a personal and collective coming to terms with the past. It connects understandings of transitional justice with social and cultural memory studies and demonstrates the dynamic interaction between different levels of memory that can take place at sites of conscience.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	154-181
Number of pages	28
Journal	History & Memory
Volume	27
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2979/histmemo.27.1.154
Publication status	Published - 31 Mar 2015

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10.2979/histmemo.27.1.154

Simply a little piece of GDR history Pre-Print
This is a working paper. The definitive version has been published as: Sara Jones, ‘“Simply a little piece of GDR history”? The Role of Memorialization in Post-Socialist Transitional Justice in Germany”, History & Memory, 27.1 (2015), 154-81.
Submitted manuscript, 146 KBLicence: None: All rights reserved
Jones_Simply_a_little_piece_GDR_History_History_&_Memory_2015_Post-Print
This article was published as ‘“Simply a little piece of GDR history”? The Role of Memorialization in Post-Socialist Transitional Justice in Germany”, History & Memory, 27.1 (2015), 154-81. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or distributed in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Indiana University Press. For education re-use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center (508-744-3350). For all other permissions, contact the press at http://iupress.edu/rights. Checked July 2015
Accepted author manuscript, 70.2 KBLicence: None: All rights reserved

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/histmemo.27.1.154

Early Career Fellowship - Sara Jones
Jones, S.
Leverhulme Trust
1/09/11 → 31/08/12
Project: Research

The Politics of Culture as Testimony
Sara Jones (Organiser) & Roger Woods (Organiser)
22 May 2017
Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Networking event

File
Methodological Approaches to the Use of Cultural Forms of Testimony in Understanding the Past
Sara Jones (Organiser), Roger Woods (Organiser) & James Griffiths (Host)
8 Mar 2017
Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Networking event

File
The Range and Function of Testimony in Cultural Forms
Sara Jones (Organiser) & Roger Woods (Organiser)
10 Nov 2016
Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Networking event

File

Cite this

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“Simply a little piece of GDR history”? The Role of Memorialization in Post-Socialist Transitional Justice in Germany

Abstract

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Fingerprint

Projects

Early Career Fellowship - Sara Jones

Activities

The Politics of Culture as Testimony

Methodological Approaches to the Use of Cultural Forms of Testimony in Understanding the Past

The Range and Function of Testimony in Cultural Forms

Cite this