Space and the Memories of Violence: Landscapes of Erasure, Disappearance and Exception

282 Pages·2014·1.758 MB·English

by  Estela Schindel, Pamela Colombo

PalgraveMacmillanMemoryStudies
SeriesEditors:AndrewHoskinsandJohnSutton
InternationalAdvisoryBoard:StevenBrown,UniversityofLeicester,UK,MaryCarruthers,NewYork
University,USA,PaulConnerton,UniversityofCambridge,UK,AstridErll,UniversityofWuppertal,
Germany,RobynFivush,EmoryUniversity,USA,TilmannHabermas,UniversityofFrankfurtamMain,
Germany,JeffreyOlick,UniversityofVirginia,USA,SusannahRadstone,UniversityofEastLondon,UK,
AnnRigney,UtrechtUniversity,Netherlands
ThenascentfieldofMemoryStudiesemergesfromcontemporarytrendsthatincludeashiftfromconcern
withhistoricalknowledgeofeventstothatofmemory,from‘whatweknow’to‘howwerememberit’;
changesingenerationalmemory;therapidadvanceoftechnologiesofmemory;panicsoverdeclining
powersofmemory,whichmirrorourfascinationwiththepossibilitiesofmemoryenhancement;andthe
developmentoftraumanarrativesinreshapingthepast.
Thesefactorshavecontributedtoanintensificationofpublicdiscoursesonourpastoverthelast30years.
Technological,political,interpersonal,socialandculturalshiftsaffectwhat,howandwhypeopleand
societiesrememberandforget.Thisground-breakingseriestacklesquestionssuchas:Whatis‘memory’
undertheseconditions?Whatareitsprospects,andalsotheprospectsforitsinterdisciplinaryandsys-
tematicstudy?Whataretheconceptual,theoreticalandmethodologicaltoolsforitsinvestigationand
illumination?
MatthewAllen
THELABOUROFMEMORY
MemorialCultureand7/7
SilkeArnold-deSimine
MEDIATINGMEMORYINTHEMUSEUM
Empathy,Trauma,Nostalgia
RebeccaBramall
THECULTURALPOLITICSOFAUSTERITY
PastandPresentinAustereTimes
IritDekel
MEDIATIONATTHEHOLOCAUSTMEMORIALINBERLIN
AnneFuchs
AFTERTHEDRESDENBOMBING
PathwaysofMemory1945tothePresent
IrialGlynnandJ.OlafKleist(editors)
HISTORY,MEMORYANDMIGRATION
PerceptionsofthePastandthePoliticsofIncorporation
AndreaHajek
NEGOTIATINGMEMORIESOFPROTESTINWESTERNEUROPE
TheCaseofItaly
AmyHoldsworth
TELEVISION,MEMORYANDNOSTALGIA
JasonJames
PRESERVATIONANDNATIONALBELONGINGINEASTERNGERMANY
HeritageFetishismandRedeemingGermanness
SaraJones
THEMEDIAOFTESTIMONY
RememberingtheEastGermanStasiintheBerlinRepublic
EmilyKeightleyandMichaelPickering
THEMNEMONICIMAGINATION
RememberingasCreativePractice
AmandaLagerkvist
MEDIAANDMEMORYINNEWSHANGHAI
WesternPerformancesofFuturesPast
PhilipLeeandPradipNinanThomas(editors)
PUBLICMEMORY,PUBLICMEDIAANDTHEPOLITICSOFJUSTICE
EricaLehrer,CynthiaE.MiltonandMonicaEileenPatterson(editors)
CURATINGDIFFICULTKNOWLEDGE
ViolentPastsinPublicPlaces
OrenMeyers,EyalZandbergandMottiNeiger
COMMUNICATINGAWE
Media,MemoryandHolocaustCommemoration
AnneMarieMonchamp
AUTOBIOGRAPHICALMEMORYINANABORIGINALAUSTRALIANCOMMUNITY
Culture,PlaceandNarrative
KatharinaNiemeyer(editor)
MEDIAANDNOSTALGIA
YearningforthePast,PresentandFuture
MargaritaSaona
MEMORYMATTERSINTRANSITIONALPERU
AnnaSaundersandDebbiePinfold(editors)
REMEMBERINGANDRETHINKINGTHEGDR
MultiplePerspectivesandPluralAuthenticities
EstelaSchindelandPamelaColombo(editors)
SPACEANDTHEMEMORIESOFVIOLENCE
LandscapesofErasure,DisappearanceandException
V.Seidler
REMEMBERINGDIANA
CulturalMemoryandtheReinventionofAuthority
BryoniTrezise
PERFORMINGFEELINGINCULTURESOFMEMORY
EvelynB.TribbleandNicholasKeene
COGNITIVEECOLOGIESANDTHEHISTORYOFREMEMBERING
Religion,EducationandMemoryinEarlyModernEngland
BarbieZelizerandKerenTenenboim-Weinblatt(editors)
JOURNALISMANDMEMORY
PalgraveMacmillanMemoryStudies
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Space and the Memories
of Violence
Landscapes of Erasure, Disappearance
and Exception
Estela Schindel
UniversitätKonstanz,Germany
Pamela Colombo
ÉcoledesHautesÉtudesenSciencesSociales,France
Introduction,selectionandeditorialmatter©EstelaSchindeland
PamelaColombo2014
Individualchapters©Respectiveauthors2014
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SpaceandtheMemoriesofViolence:LandscapesofErasure,Disappearance
andException/[editors]EstelaSchindel,UniversitätKonstanz,Germany;
PamelaColombo,ÉcoledesHautesÉtudesenSciencesSociales,France.
pages cm.—(PalgraveMacmillanmemorystudies)
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978–1–137–38090–6
1. Space—Socialaspects. 2. Violence. 3. Collectivememory—
Politicalaspects. 4. Crimesagainsthumanity. I. Schindel,Estela,
editor. II. Colombo,Pamela,editor.
HM654.S6372014
304.2(cid:2)3—dc23 2014025907
Contents
ListofFigures vii
Preface viii
NotesonContributors x
Introduction:TheMulti-LayeredMemoriesofSpace 1
PamelaColomboandEstelaSchindel
Part I SpatialInscriptionsofAnnihilation
1 ViolentErasuresandErasingViolence:ContestingCambodia’s
LandscapesofViolence 21
JamesA.Tyner
2 PolishLandscapesofMemoryattheSitesofExtermination:
ThePoliticsofFraming 34
ZuzannaDziuban
3 SpacesofConfrontationandDefeat:TheSpatialDispossession
oftheRevolutioninTucumán,Argentina 48
PamelaColombo
4 SubterraneanAutopsies:ExhumationsofMassGravesin
ContemporarySpain 61
FranciscoFerrándiz
Part II TheRepresentationofViolence:Spatial
Strategies
5 Faces,VoicesandtheShadowofCatastrophe 77
JayWinter
6 TheCartographer.Warsaw,1:400,000 91
JuanMayorga(EnglishtranslationbySarahMaitland)
7 ‘AllLimitsWereExceededOverThere’:TheChronotopeof
TerrorinModernWarfareandTestimony 105
KirstenMahlke
v
vi Contents
8 TheConcentrationCampandthe‘UnhomelyHome’:
TheDisappearanceofChildreninPost-DictatorshipArgentine
Theatre 119
MarianaEvaPerez
Part III HauntedSpaces,IrruptingMemories
9 ‘TheWholeCountryIsaMonument’:FramingPlacesofTerror
inPost-WarGermany 135
AleidaAssmann
10 HauntedHouses,HorrorLiteratureandtheSpaceofMemory
inPost-DictatorshipArgentineLiterature 150
SilvanaMandolessi
11 Counter-Movement,SpaceandPolitics:HowtheSaturday
MothersofTurkeyMakeEnforcedDisappearancesVisible 162
MeltemAhıska
12 AnOrderlyLandscapeofRemnants:NotesforReflectingon
theSpatialityoftheDisappeared 176
GabrielGatti
13 ALimitlessGrave:MemoryandAbjectionoftheRíodelaPlata 188
EstelaSchindel
Part IV SpacesofException,PowerandResistance
14 SpatialitiesofException 205
PilarCalveiro
15 ImaginaryCities,ViolenceandMemory:ALiteraryMapping 219
GudrunRath
16 OccupiedSquaresandtheUrban‘StateofException’:In,
AgainstandBeyondtheCityofEnclaves 231
StavrosStavrides
17 ‘Memory,thatPowerfulPoliticalForce’ 244
InterviewwithDavidHarvey
Index 254
Figures
1.1 MugshotofKeatSophal,arrestedon13April1977.Shewas
detainedfor99daysuntilshewasexecutedon22July 22
1.2 TuolSlengSecurity-Center,PhnomPenh,Cambodia 28
2.1 Elz˙bietaJanicka,Sobibór,250,000(4July2003);fromthe
cycleTheOddPlace 36
2.2 Museum-MemorialSiteinBełz˙ec 42
2.3 SobibórDeathCampMemorialSite 43
3.1 Villagesfoundedbythemilitaryduringthedictatorshipand
townswhereresearchwasconducted(Tucumán,Argentina) 53
5.1 Dix,Otto.Transplantation 82
5.2 Picasso,Pablo.Guernica 83
5.3 Kiefer,Anselm.‘BreakingoftheVessels’inthecollectionof
theSaintLouisArtMuseum 85
5.4 BB83_04456–HollandHouselibraryafteranairraid,1940 86
5.5 JewishMuseuminBerlin 87
9.1 MapofGermanywiththebordersof1937,showingthesites
ofconcentrationcamps 137
9.2 CollectiveexcavationatthesiteoftheformerGestapo
headquarters(1985) 140
9.3 Flyerof“AktionHotelSilber” 142
9.4 ‘AudiowegGusen’.ThepresentGartenstraßeinGusenin
which,between1940and1945,theBarracksfromthecamp
GusenIwerelocated 147
12.1 Scalemodelofthe‘CasaGrimaldi’clandestinedetention
centre,SantiagodeChile,December2007 180
13.1 ReconstructionofthePortraitofPabloMíguez,byClaudia
Fontes 189
13.2 DrawingsontheRiver,byJorgeVelarde 196
vii
Preface
The production of this book was funded by the European Research Coun-
cil under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program through the
research group Narratives of Terror and Disappearance (FP/2007–2013, ERC
Grant Agreement No. 240984 NoT), based at the University of Konstanz.
Thissourcealsograntedthemainfundingfortheinternationalsymposium
thatgaveorigintothepresentvolume.Thesymposium,entitledSpatialities
of Exception, Violence and Memory, took place in Madrid between 1 and
3February2012,attheResidenciadeEstudiantesandtheCentrodeCiencias
Humanas y Sociales, belonging to the Spanish National Research Council
(CCHS-CSIC). Further sponsorship was awarded by the Spanish Ministry
of Science and Innovation (MICINN, Acción Complementaria FFI2011–
14371-E), the research groups The Politics of Memory in Contemporary Spain
(Plan Nacional I+D+i CS02009–09681) and Philosophy after the Holocaust
(Plan Nacional I+D+i FFI2009–09368) and the Max Planck Research Prize
Geschichte+GedächtnisfromtheUniversityofKonstanz.
For their support in different phases of this project, we would like to
extendourdeepestthankstoAleidaAssmann,FranciscoFerrándiz,Manuel
ReyesMate,ConchaRoldán,JoséAntonioZamoraand,especially,toKirsten
Mahlkewho,asdirectoroftheNoTresearchgroup,provideduswithinsti-
tutionalandfinancialbackingthroughoutthisprocess,fromtheconception
ofthesymposiumtothematerializationofthisbook.Kirstenstoodperma-
nently at our side with her intellectual openness and creativity, offering us
constantmotivationandadviceand,aboveall,hertrustinthisproject.
Wewouldalsoliketomentionourcolleague,RosarioFigari-Layús,whom
we thank for her skilful suggestions and organizational help during the
encounter in Madrid, as well as the late Asunción Gaudens Cros, who
designed the poster that publicized the symposium. Jorge Morales, along-
side Victor Pareja and Cristina Ramos, gave us an invaluable logistic sup-
port at the CSIC. We also thank Carlos Agüero, Amanda Demitrio, Julia
Blanco, Carmen Domench, Marije Hristova, Paula Martos, Pedro Ochoa,
Nicolás Oviedo and Gemma Vidal for their voluntary assistance during
thosedays.
We are most grateful to the series editor, Andrew Hoskins, and to every-
one at Palgrave who guided and assisted us through the different stages of
putting this book together. Special mention must go to Felicity Plester and
ChrisPenfold.
Abig‘gracias’goestoSophieOliver,PhilipDerbyshireandPhilippaPage,
whoprovidedtheirpatienceandlanguageskillscorrecting,translatingand
editingdifferentpartsofthemanuscriptatvariousstagesofitspreparation.
viii
Preface ix
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the authors for their
commitment and readiness to accompany us throughout this editorial and
intellectualenterprise.Weappreciatetheirindividualcontributionsasmuch
astheirwillingnesstoengageinthisconversationwithus,thuslinkingtheir
specificcasestudiestothequestionsweaimedtodiscussherein.
Our gratitude goes also to the authors of the photographs, who have
accordedthenecessarypublishingrights,andtoStefanieSchumacher,who
diligently searched for and contacted those holding the copyright for the
images. Every attempt has been made to contact the owners of property
rights.If,however,anyhaveinadvertentlybeenoverlooked,theeditorsand
publisherswillbemorethanwillingtomaketheappropriatearrangements
attheearliestopportunity.
ThephotographillustratingthecoverofthisvolumewastakenbyEsteban
Luis Santamaría on the site of what was, under the Argentine military dic-
tatorshipinthe1970s,theclandestinedetentioncentreElCampito,inthe
ProvinceofBuenosAires.ThislandstillbelongstoCampodeMayo,where
Argentina’smainmilitarycorpscontinuestooperateitsheadquarterstoday.
The former detention facilities have, however, been demolished in order
to erase all traces of the kidnapping and murder of thousands of people.
Meanwhile,theplacehasbeenexpropriatedfromthemilitarytosearchfor
remnantsofthedisappeared,andtrialstojudgethecrimescommittedthere
arebeingcarriedoutinArgentinecourts.ThepicturewastakeninSeptem-
ber1999–atimewhenimpunitylawsstillprevailedinthecountry–during
acommemorationorganizedbyrelativesandfriendsofthedisappeared,in
ordertodrawattentiontotheplace.Theactinvolvedplacingthesilhouettes
thathavebecomecharacteristicofactionscarriedoutbyArgentinehuman
rights movements in memory of the desaparecidos. When Esteban Santa-
maría–himselfasonofdisappeared–gavehispermissiontousethepicture,
hewrotethefollowingwordsaboutthemomentthephotographwastaken:
‘When they installed the silhouettes, the wind was buffeting against them,
thelandscapebehindthemwasinfinite,thetreeshadnoleaves,everything
seemed so solitary. As we were leaving, I looked at everybody and noticed
howsadweweretoleavethosesilhouettesofthedetainee-disappearedthere
alone.’ The editors wish that this book may help the memories of the dis-
appearedandmurderednottoremainalone,withthewindandadesolate
landscapeassolewitnesses.
Estela Schindel dedicates her work in this book in memory of Leib and
Ester Malka Ortner Z’L and their children and grandchildren murdered in
Belzecin1942.
Pamela Colombo wishes to dedicate this book to her niece, Anita, and
nephew, Benicio, hoping that they can grow up imagining new spaces
ofhope.