How death reigns in Arcadia: About Heritage of War in dealing with a dark past

Robert van der Laarse

How death reigns in Arcadia: About Heritage of War in dealing with a dark past

Robert van der Laarse

Art and Culture, History, Antiquity

Research output: Book / Report › Valedictory speech

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Abstract

Historian and heritage and memory expert Rob van der Laarse discusses in his valedictory speech of 2024 the crucial changes after his 2012 inaugural on the future of European War and Holocaust heritage in terms of a in the future of Europe in War. Beginning with the question of how to communicate in public about the Palestine attack of 7 October and the Israeli-Gaza War as well as the Russian-Ukrainian war within a world driven by trauma, populism and geopolitics, he reworks Susan Sontag's notion of Regarding the Pain of Others by opening a new perspective on the duty to overcome essentialist identity politics and other abuses of the past by selective memory politics, in order to communicate with 'others' beyond the conflicting axis of Holocaust, postcommunist and postcolonial memory. He ends by supporting current civil servants's rights to demonstrate against their own governments, by warning against the notion of banality of evil, as the collaboration of high officials is crucial in the erosion of fundamental rights.

Original language	English
Publisher	Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Number of pages	20
Publication status	Published - 12 Jan 2024

Bibliographical note

Speech delivered at the farewell as endowed professor of War Heritage at the Westerbork Chair, on behalf of the Westerbork Remembrance Centre Foudation, at the Faculty of Humanities of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on 12 January 2024

Keywords

Holocaust memory
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Ukrianian memory politics
Simon Schama
Susan Sontag
European memory politics
historical dialogue
grievability
Samual P. Huntington
culture wars
Europe in War
civil servants right of demonstration
genocide

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Digitaal boekje ENG How Death Reigns in ArcadiaFinal published version, 1.42 MB

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title = "How death reigns in Arcadia: About Heritage of War in dealing with a dark past",

abstract = "Historian and heritage and memory expert Rob van der Laarse discusses in his valedictory speech of 2024 the crucial changes after his 2012 inaugural on the future of European War and Holocaust heritage in terms of a in the future of Europe in War. Beginning with the question of how to communicate in public about the Palestine attack of 7 October and the Israeli-Gaza War as well as the Russian-Ukrainian war within a world driven by trauma, populism and geopolitics, he reworks Susan Sontag's notion of Regarding the Pain of Others by opening a new perspective on the duty to overcome essentialist identity politics and other abuses of the past by selective memory politics, in order to communicate with 'others' beyond the conflicting axis of Holocaust, postcommunist and postcolonial memory. He ends by supporting current civil servants's rights to demonstrate against their own governments, by warning against the notion of banality of evil, as the collaboration of high officials is crucial in the erosion of fundamental rights.",

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N2 - Historian and heritage and memory expert Rob van der Laarse discusses in his valedictory speech of 2024 the crucial changes after his 2012 inaugural on the future of European War and Holocaust heritage in terms of a in the future of Europe in War. Beginning with the question of how to communicate in public about the Palestine attack of 7 October and the Israeli-Gaza War as well as the Russian-Ukrainian war within a world driven by trauma, populism and geopolitics, he reworks Susan Sontag's notion of Regarding the Pain of Others by opening a new perspective on the duty to overcome essentialist identity politics and other abuses of the past by selective memory politics, in order to communicate with 'others' beyond the conflicting axis of Holocaust, postcommunist and postcolonial memory. He ends by supporting current civil servants's rights to demonstrate against their own governments, by warning against the notion of banality of evil, as the collaboration of high officials is crucial in the erosion of fundamental rights.

AB - Historian and heritage and memory expert Rob van der Laarse discusses in his valedictory speech of 2024 the crucial changes after his 2012 inaugural on the future of European War and Holocaust heritage in terms of a in the future of Europe in War. Beginning with the question of how to communicate in public about the Palestine attack of 7 October and the Israeli-Gaza War as well as the Russian-Ukrainian war within a world driven by trauma, populism and geopolitics, he reworks Susan Sontag's notion of Regarding the Pain of Others by opening a new perspective on the duty to overcome essentialist identity politics and other abuses of the past by selective memory politics, in order to communicate with 'others' beyond the conflicting axis of Holocaust, postcommunist and postcolonial memory. He ends by supporting current civil servants's rights to demonstrate against their own governments, by warning against the notion of banality of evil, as the collaboration of high officials is crucial in the erosion of fundamental rights.

KW - Holocaust memory

KW - Israel-Palestinian Conflict

KW - Russia's invasion of Ukraine

KW - Ukrianian memory politics

KW - Simon Schama

KW - Susan Sontag

KW - European memory politics

KW - historical dialogue

KW - grievability

KW - Samual P. Huntington

KW - culture wars

KW - Europe in War

KW - civil servants right of demonstration

KW - genocide

UR - https://vu.nl/en/events/2024/valedictory-speech-prof-dr-r-van-der-laarse

M3 - Valedictory speech

BT - How death reigns in Arcadia

PB - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

ER -

How death reigns in Arcadia: About Heritage of War in dealing with a dark past

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Hoe de dood heerst in Arcadië: Over Erfgoed van de Oorlog in de omgang met een donker verleden

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