Archives and remembrance education Geertrui Elaut National
Archives Belgium EBNA 18.11.2010 Brussels
Slide 2
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
G. Santayana, 1905 We are ashamed of that part of our history, but
it is our history nonetheless. D. Tutu, 2003
Slide 3
The question of what nations should do about a difficult past
is one of the great subjects of our time Timothy Garton Ash
Slide 4
Public authorities have the responsibility to keep the memory
of the past alive. How?
Slide 5
Remembrance education = using educative means in order to: 1.
Highlight the positive achievements of the 20 th century (in the
fields of science, democracy, human rights) 2.Avoid repetition or
denial of disastrous events that occurred in the 20 th century (for
instance, genocides and other violation of human rights)
Slide 6
Status quaestionis: mainly oral history and personal
experiences
Slide 7
Remembrance education in Belgium? Flemish Community: -Working
on peace education and remembrance education in agenda 2009-2014
-2009: Special Committee for Remembrance Education French
Community: -Coordination units Democracy or Barbarism and Regional
and Community Centre for Citizenship and Democracy -2007 and 2009:
Decrees stipulating obligation to remembrance education
Slide 8
Archives and Remembrance education ?
Slide 9
The Belgian State Archives and remembrance education.
Realisations / 1 Collaboration with: International Tracing Service
(Bad Arolson) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington
DC) Mmorial de la Shoah (Paris) Nationaal Gedenkteken van Breendonk
Joods Museum van Deportatie en Verzet (Mechelen)
Slide 10
The Belgian State Archives and remembrance education.
Realisations / 2 www.archives-democratie.be
Slide 11
The Belgian State Archives and remembrance education.
Weaknesses/Threats No educative service No structural cooperation
with educative sector Poor legitimation / negative perception
within the archival community Choice of subjects for remembrance =
delicate and requires constant updating
Slide 12
Archives and Remembrance Education. Challenges for the future
Balance between regional, national, European and international
issues? Remembrance and identity shaping in a multicultural
society? What about Web-2.0-applications and Shared Memory?
