Reactive remembrance: The political struggle over apologies and reparations between Germany and Namibia for the Herero genocide

Boehme, Franziska

doi:10.1080/14754835.2020.1727729

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In the German context, the invisibility of migrant grassroots mobilization has taken place in a context where institutional racism and the colonial past have been also regularly denied (Boehme, 2020; Boulila & Carri, 2017; El Tayeb, 1999). Migrant activism is thus important as it contributes to bringing to the foreground the role that colonialism and racism have had in building the German nation (Perolini, 2021).…”

Section: Invisibility Of Migrant Struggles In Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

We don't remember the O‐Platz protest camp for the sake of it. Collective memories and visibility of migrant activism in Berlin

Perolini

2022

Sociology Compass

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The activists opposing border regimes in Berlin still vividly remember the migrant protest camp on Oranienplatz (O-Platz), a square in the neighborhood of Kreuzberg, a decade after its establishment in 2012. For them, the protest camp is the ideal type of mobilization against border regimes; the opportunity for racialized migrants to engage in politics and formulate grievances based on their own experiences of border regimes. O-Platz is remembered as a visible migrant grassroots protest in the backdrop of a history of invisibility of migrant struggles in Germany. In contrast, activists frame their mobilization after O-Platz as invisible and fragmented, despite the emergence of new networks and alliances, which, however, are not led by migrant activists. Collective memory bridges different movement phases and emphasizes the importance of visibility achieved by collective action centered around the experiences of subaltern groups, specifically racialized migrants with precarious legal status. I argue that memory work is crucial for countering the invisibility and erasure of grassroots migrant struggles in Germany. Memory work has an aspirational function as it transforms characteristics of past mobilization into aspirations for the present, especially in a phase where new

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Section: Invisibility Of Migrant Struggles In Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

We don't remember the O‐Platz protest camp for the sake of it. Collective memories and visibility of migrant activism in Berlin

Perolini

2022

Sociology Compass

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“…In contrast, I contend in this article, grassroots organizations identify the state and border regimes as mechanisms reproducing racism. The anti-racism of grassroots organizations is crucial in a context such as the German one in which institutional racism is regularly denied (Boulila and Carri 2017), and the authorities have been reluctant for a long time to recognize the colonial past and its crimes such as the genocide perpetrated in Southwest Africa, today Namibia (Boehme 2020;El Tayeb 1999). 5 The anti-racism of grassroots organizations opposing border regimes plugs into the interventions of Black and diaspora activism in Germany.…”

Section: Radical Right Politics Racism and Increased Social Movement Activity In Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging oppression: how grassroots anti-racism in Berlin breaks borders

Perolini

2021

Ethnic and Racial Studies

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In recent years, the successful anti-migrant mobilization of populist radical right parties and movements in Germany has stimulated the anti-racist struggle. This article investigates the anti-racism of grassroots organizations that contest border regimes in Berlin. While grassroots anti-racism also intends to combat the ideology of populist radical right parties, it contributes distinctively to the debates on racism, colonialism and border regimes. Specifically, grassroots antiracism sheds light on the mechanisms through which border regimes oppress and racialize migrants. Crucially, by acknowledging the imbrication between historical racial inequalities and border regimes, grassroots organizations weave an anti-racist struggle against border regimes that is emancipatory for racialized migrants. I contend that grassroots anti-racism contributes to tackling the pervasive historical amnesia (Hall, S. 2000. "Conclusion: The Multicultural Question." In Un/settled Multiculturalisms: Diasporas, Entanglements, 'Transruptions', edited by B. Hesse. Zed Books) regarding colonialism and the role of racism in the construction of the German nation.

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“…For example, governments may be concerned about any liabilities or judicial claims that may be derived from their statements (MacLachlan, 2015). Such concerns regarding reparation demands might lead governments to refrain from accepting explicit responsibility for the wrongdoing, or to use 'we regret' instead of 'we apologize' (Boehme, 2020). Scholars have argued that debates about reparations have complicated and delayed apologies from Germany regarding the Herero genocide in Namibia, leading to 'half apologies' (Boehme, 2020: 245) with 'legally savvy grammar and language' (Bentley, 2014: 637).…”

Section: Political Apologies Across Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

These Are Not Just Words: A Cross-National Comparative Study of the Content of Political Apologies

Zoodsma

Schaafsma

Sagherian-Dickey

et al. 2021

International Review of Social Psychology

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Was it enough merely to say "sorry" on the part of those who had the humility, courage and honesty to say "sorry"? And what of those who are perhaps too arrogant to utter this simple word?' 1 In his speech at the commemoration of the Rwandan genocide in April 2004, South African President Mbeki questions the relevance of offering an apology when such a heinous crime has happened. After himself apologizing for South Africa's passivity and highlighting the inaction of the international community during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, he continues to wonder if uttering this simple word is actually enough. In doing so, he seems to exemplify the 'paradoxical qualities' (Tavuchis, 1991: 5) that are often attributed to political apologies: they cannot undo or 'unstate' what has been done, but they are also often seen as extremely meaningful in healing processes, including those that take place at the national and international level.According to some scholars, we live in an ' age of apology' (Brooks, 1999;Gibney et al., 2008), a time in which countries are increasingly being called upon to take responsibility for past wrongdoings and to redress these wrongs by offering apologies. Particularly since the end of the Cold War, numerous apologies have been offered

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Reactive remembrance: The political struggle over apologies and reparations between Germany and Namibia for the Herero genocide

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

We don't remember the O‐Platz protest camp for the sake of it. Collective memories and visibility of migrant activism in Berlin

We don't remember the O‐Platz protest camp for the sake of it. Collective memories and visibility of migrant activism in Berlin

Challenging oppression: how grassroots anti-racism in Berlin breaks borders

These Are Not Just Words: A Cross-National Comparative Study of the Content of Political Apologies

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