DER KULTURELLE UND INSTITUTIONELLE UMGANG MIT HASSIDEOLOGIEN IN DEUTSCHLAND UND DEN VEREINIGTEN STAATEN: EIN VERGLEICH DER HERANGEHENSWEISEN UND DEREN EFFEKTIVITÄT ALS ERINNERUNGSSTRATEGIEN

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the ways in which Germany and the US deal with hate ideologies through memorialization and how effective these strategies have proven to be. Germany’s history of National Socialism and the Holocaust resulted in the development of a “memory culture” (Erinnerungskultur), comprised of institutional and cultural measures that address the horrors committed during the Holocaust. These measures include laws against glorifying or denying the Holocaust, limitations to freedom of speech in the areas of hate ideologies, and cultural monuments that memorialize the victims of hate. While the US also has hate incidents and genocides in its past, there has been no extensive implementation of legal or cultural initiatives to proactively fight hateful ideologies. After evaluating and comparing German and American memorialization strategies through several examples, it becomes evident that Germany effectively and proactively confronts various forms of hate, largely because of the boundaries set after the Holocaust, which serves as a precedent for dealing with hate. This thesis therefore suggests that the US can learn from these proactive strategies by limiting the freedom of hate speech and creating cultural monuments both to honor victims of hateful events and warn against the re-emergence of hate.