REMEMBERING THE SHOAH IN BERLIN

Memorials and monuments have been of increasing interest to geographers and the study of memorialization recognises that collective memory is shaped by the politically contestable nature of space and place. This interest has been fuelled by the nature of memory and its manifestations, which are not fully understood in terms of cognitive psychology but require the mediation of society to decide the aspects worthy of commemoration. What is deemed historically significant is reliant upon social control, negotiation and contestation; this is embodied in the material sites of memory.

Monuments are a type of memorial usually situated in public space designed to facilitate remembering and forgetting of past events and comprises the heritage landscape. It manifests as a range of material culture elements such as landmarks, street signs and preserved sites.  Memorials are important symbolic conduits used to legitimate history.

Additionally, memorials and mounments are key influencers of how people remember the past as they control the narration of selected history, simulatenously dictating what is remembered as well as forgotten; although in the case of  Shoah memorials, the counter hegemonic monuments allow leeway for people to actively shape their own personal memorialization process.