Decolonize Hamburg
Initiative to address the colonial legacy of the city
Hamburg was a hub of German colonial policy. In 2014, the city officially acknowledged this legacy and embarked on a profound debate. Under the title “Decolonize Hamburg!” the Foundation of Historical Museums Hamburg, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Media, will address the issues of current debates in a series of sub-projects and formats, creating a forum for activities and broad exchange.
Rethinking Bismarck
Since its construction in 1907, the Bismarck Monument in Hamburg’s Alter Elbpark has been invested with a great number of connotations. Today, it is seen by many as an expression of an authoritarian and colonial tradition that is part of our history and to which we must and we wish to find an adequate response. It is necessary to reframe this widely visible monument because in terms of its position, use and symbolic association it manifests complex references to colonialism, National Socialism, discrimination and questions of social justice that had previously not been in evidence.
Memory in Motion
Transnational Network on Education and Memory of Colonialism in Germany.
To this day, Germany lacks an appropriate place of remembrance for commemorating and dealing with colonialism and its consequences. The federal coalition agreement stipulates that “a concept for a place of learning and remembrance of colonialism” is to be developed. As a sub-project of the overall project “Decolonize Hamburg!”, the Foundation of Historical Museums Hamburg (SHMH) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Media has taken on the task of initiating the discussion about such a place of remembrance in Germany.
The final event of the transnational network on education and memory of colonialism in Germany will take place on 13 and 14 December 2024. The network was established at a kick-off event in Hamburg between 26 and 28 January 2023 in order to advance debate and ideas for a new nationwide place of learning and remembrance of colonialism in Germany. The cooperation partners invited national and international experts from the fields of science, art, architecture and urban planning as well as key stakeholders from institutions and civil society to discuss the forms and means of remembrance and commemoration in relation to German colonialism. It was particularly important to include various transnational voices, positions and perspectives.
The network’s semi-public symposium taking place in Berlin, concludes the two-year joint process with national and transnational actors working on the topics of colonialism, coloniality and decolonial cultures of remembrance. The aim of the symposium is to collate, process and present to the public the ideas, utopias and visions discussed over a period of around 24 months. A comprehensive publication, due for publication next year, will document the process, present the results and formulate recommendations.
In the context of current debates on the politics of remembrance, a space will be created in which reflection and exchange on the forms, content, affects and politics of decolonial remembrance will be made possible and thus fundamental questions for considerations on the establishment of a future site of learning and remembrance of colonialism can be addressed.
Registration: https://crm.stadtmuseum.de/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=3
If you have questions, please contact: memoryinmotion@stadtmuseum.de
Organizers and Cooperation Partners
Memory in Motion is a joint project of the Hamburg Historical Museums Foundation, The Ministry of Culture and Media in Hamburg, the Advisory Council on the Decolonisation of Hamburg, the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb, Decolonize e.V., Dekoloniale- Memory Culture in the City, and the Berlin City Museum Foundation
The project is funded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media and the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The Federal Cultural Foundation is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
ContaCt
Sponsored by
“Decolonize Hamburg! Initiative to Address the City’s Colonial Heritage” is a project of the Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg in cooperation with and funded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media. Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The Federal Cultural Foundation is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
