Visitors to the House of Memory

As one of the most visited museums in Germany’s capital city, the Jewish Museum Berlin is a key site for understanding not only German-Jewish history, but also German identity in an era of unprecedented ethnic and religious diversity. Visitors to the House of Memory is an intimate exploration of how young Berliners experience the Museum. How do modern students relate to the museum’s evocative architecture, its cultural-political context, and its narrative of Jewish history? By accompanying a range of high school history students before, during, and after their visits to the museum, this book offers an illuminating exploration of political education, affect, remembrance, and belonging.

As one of the most visited museums in Germany’s capital city, the Jewish Museum Berlin is a key site for understanding not only German-Jewish history, but also German identity in an era of unprecedented ethnic and religious diversity. Visitors to the House of Memory is an intimate exploration of how young Berliners experience the Museum. How do modern students relate to the museum’s evocative architecture, its cultural-political context, and its narrative of Jewish history? By accompanying a range of high school history students before, during, and after their visits to the museum, this book offers an illuminating exploration of political education, affect, remembrance, and belonging.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. Focus of the Research and Methodological Approach: The Research Question
Chapter 2. Memory, Political Education and the Positioning of the JMB: From Memory to Remembrance to Past Presencing
Chapter 3. Betroffenheit: The Museum Visit as an Embodied Memorial Experience
Chapter 4. The Visit as a Predominantly “Touristic” Activity
Chapter 5. Between Engagement, Playful Appropriation, and Exclusion
Chapter 6. Concluding Reflections: From the Museum as a Field Site to a More Inclusive Culture of Memory

Afterword
Appendix

Bibliography
Index