Memory cultures

Episode 27: From Guilt to Responsibility

00:00

Germany constitutes a singular case of a society which was forced to reconsider its past twice within 50 years. The guilt of the Nazi Germany and the accountability of the German society for the outbreak of the WWII became an integral part of German identity. The burden of nationality has shaped and continues to affect the way Germans perceive themselves and their responsibilities within Europe and towards the rest of the world. How societies confront unspeakable atrocities, how they deal with victims and perpetrators, how justice can be fulfilled, whether perpetrators should also be involved in these processes and whether there are bystanders or only accomplices, are the topics of the new episode of the Memory Cultures in Dialogue podcast, which we discussed with Dr Susanne Karstedt, Professor at Griffith University, Australia.