“Aufarbeitung” – Contribution of Oral History in the Dealing with the Past
“Aufarbeitung” – Contribution of Oral History in the Dealing with the Past

Summary/Abstract: Based on a growing interest in questions of memory, trauma and justice in Europe, this article addresses the issue of dealing with the past and eyewitness interviews. In the German language, this is often also described with the term “Aufarbeitung der Vergangenheit / vyrovnávání se s minulostí”. We ask to what extent past events, processes and responsibilities can be reviewed and what contribution oral history can make here. Dealing with the past - in the sense of successful coping processes for those affected - requires a sensitive, appreciative and respectful attitude towards traumatic experiences in all activities of the memory-cultural process. At the same time, the question arises as to what tasks oral history here can perform, if one assumes that therapeutic tasks are to be sought in other disciplines. This paper offers an actual perspective on dealing with the past by analysing the limits of this historical discourse and exploring the potential of oral history in memory culture.

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