Situated Practice
Can you find Kella on the map?
Kella is located in the center of Germany, in the state of Thüringen.
How did you find the article?
The article was interesting but difficult.
What do you know about capitalism and communism? Compare the two systems in regard to freedom(s), police/security, education.
East: No freedom to vote freely, travel restrictions within the communist countries, strong police presence, free education and university
Compare the parade in Kella with parades in your hometown. What is different?
Features more local history, not a 'national' event.
How do you define borderlands?
Borderlands are complex zones in which different areas overlap.
Which 10 words/concepts did you consider the most important?
Memory, border, commemoration, ethnographic stories, anecdotes, parade, Trabi, GDR flag, border museum, victimization, nostalgia
What is the meaning of Günther Baumann's statement? Whom and what does he critique? "People never took note of the fence."
He means that people voice their opposition only after the wall has been dismantled because they don't fear any retribution. In the past, they accepted it as a fact and never questioned the wall's existence.
Write a sign you would have like to display at a parade in your hometown.
"Health care is a basic human right! Do not deny this right to anyone"
Mark the statement as true or false.
Kella before 1989: Kella was located directly on the border within the high-security zone.
What was unclear in the article?
I did not understand why they buried the flag.
How would Günther Baumann's 15-year old daughter respond to the wall in 2018?
She was born 14 years after its dismemberment and only knows the wall through museum artifacts, history lessons, and her family members' accounts.
The residents of Kella are writing against the dismantling of the wall in their community. Write a letter to the state government stating the reasons why the residents want to maintain the fence.
3 arguments: preservation for future generations, establishment of a museum and anticipation of tourists
Give an example of "contested memory"!
The Bachmann family disagreed about their memory during the time of the Wall.
How long did it take you to read the article?
I needed 2 hours for the article.
After the fall of the wall, the residents' identity shifted and they perceived themselves as victims of an unjust system that "imprisoned" them. Conversely, the disappearance of everything East German (i.e. streets, memorials) forced another sense of loss and suffering.
Which examples of highly contested and divisive memories do you find in your own culture?
Confederate Monuments