Panel Recap | 2024 Memory Studies Association Conference in Lima, Peru

Paper Highlights:

1. Verena Baier delved into the shifting narratives of US Nicaragua activists from the 1980s, revealing how their life stories reflect evolving political stances and reignite old solidarities in today's divided world.
2. Thalia Prokopiou examined how Greece's far-right group, Golden Dawn, uses war memorials to forge ultranationalist identities, drawing unsettling parallels with global phenomena like the U.S. "Lost Cause" monuments.
3. Tamara Heger illuminated the often-overlooked history of the Flossenbürg concentration camp, demonstrating how the personal memories of US liberators played a crucial role in its eventual commemoration.

This panel, presented in Lima, challenged traditional narratives and offered fresh perspectives on how memory, culture, and identity intersect in our interconnected world.  The ScienceCampus is delighted to have supported them in travelling to Peru for this renowned conference.

Photo: (Left to right) Tamara Heger, Thalia Prokopiou, Verena Baier

This summer, three doctoral researchers from Regensburg traveled to Lima, Peru, to present their cutting-edge research at the 2024 Memory Studies Association Conference. Their panel, a highlight of the conference, explored the intricate ways in which memory, culture, and politics intersect across Europe and the Americas, with a focus on how memories are formed, contested, and reinterpreted in transregional and intercultural contexts.

The panel opened with Verena Baier, who presented her paper on the evolving narratives of US Nicaragua activists from the 1980s. Baier’s research delves into how the life stories of these activists—once united in their support of the Sandinista revolution—have diverged over time, reflecting shifting political landscapes and reigniting old solidarities. Her work sheds light on the complex dynamics of memory within activist communities and the potential for these memories to mobilize new generations.

Next, Thalia Prokopiou explored the far-right appropriation of war memorials in Greece, focusing on the “Honor and Memory” ceremonies organized by the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn. Prokopiou’s paper examined how these sites, such as the ancient battlefield of Thermopylae, have been transformed into ultranationalist memoryscapes, serving as powerful symbols of far-right identity. Her analysis also drew parallels with global trends, including the controversial "Lost Cause" monuments in the United States, highlighting the transnational nature of these antagonistic memory practices.

Finally, Tamara Heger presented her research on the commemoration of the Flossenbürg concentration camp in Eastern Bavaria. Heger traced the significant role that US soldiers, who liberated the camp in 1945, played in the belated recognition and remembrance of its history. Her paper emphasized the importance of individual and institutional efforts in transforming Flossenbürg from a forgotten site into a vital part of Germany’s memory landscape.

Together, these papers offered fresh insights into the ways memory is constructed, contested, and reimagined across different regions and historical contexts. We are incredibly pleased at the Leibniz ScienceCampus to have supported this endeavor, enabling these talented researchers to network, share their innovative work, and participate in a top-tier international conference, furthering their contributions to the field of memory studies.