B5111 - Experiences and Memories of Western Europe (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will possess a critical and in-depth knowledge of a) the historiographical debate about the national and transnational configuration of European experiences and memories; b) the different methodological approaches to study them and, c) the processes related to the redefinition of the coordinates of the public and institutional memory in contemporary Europe. They will have acquired a critical knowledge of the key concepts and tools apt to identifying factors of change and of continuity in the debate on memory policies and how these can be reshaped with regard to political-institutional, social and gender factors. They will also be able to recognize the relevance of and the interest in historical memory on the part of communities in contemporary Western European cultures - including artistic production and public communication - and the specific role of historiography in fostering a critical and scientific approach. They will be able to outline a research question by critically selecting and evaluating the sources necessary to address it so as to be able to develop scientifically grounded interpretations; they will have achieved capabilities to produce contents of scientific quality that can be disseminated through the various channels of historical knowledge communication, including teaching, with an awareness of the implications for dissemination and for teaching.

Course contents

Rethinking War Since the 1990s: Memory Politics and New Sensitivities

Western Europe has developed a set of shared memory themes and practices, encouraged by the process of progressive integration during the long post-war period. The course will focus on Memory Politics as defined after 1989 and the end of the Cold War, which took on specific characteristics in different national contexts while remaining linked to the resolutions adopted in parallel at the supranational level by the European Union.

The course will develop an analytical path exploring the themes and forms (key actors, dominant elements, contradictions) through which states and societies—as well as historical voices—have approached the subject of war with renewed sensitivity in the 1990s/2000s, defining new memorial paradigms alongside the emergence of new global conflicts.

The course will be divided into four thematic blocks:

1. The 1990s and New Perspectives on War

2. European Union Memory Policies and Memorial Laws

3. Dominant Narratives of WWII Memory in Western Europe and National Specificities

4. Contradictions and Competing Memories

Attending students, divided into groups, will be required to read, discuss, and present an essay/chapter from List B in class.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students, the exam will cover:

• Around 20 essays/chapters discussed in class during the two courses (List A1 + List B).

For non-attending students, the exam will cover:

• 13 essays/chapters discussed in class during the course "Experiences and Memories of Western Europe" (List B)

  + Filippo Focardi, Bruno Groppo (eds.), L'Europa e le sue memorie. Culture e politiche del ricordo dopo il 1989, Viella, Rome 2013.

• 15 essays from the course "Experiences and Memories of Eastern Europe" (List A2).

Alternatively, attending students of the Experiences and Memories of Western Europe course may submit a 4,000-word paper (30,000 characters, including footnotes) – equivalent to 6 ECTS credits– on a topic related to the following thematic area:

• Memory Politics in Western Europe after 1989

The selected topic, along with all relevant sources and bibliography, must receive prior approval from the course professor and will be discussed during the examination. The paper must be submitted no later than one week before the chosen exam date.

 

List B

1-T. Judt, “The Past in Another Country. Myth and Memory in Postwar Europe” pp. 293-323. In I. Deàk, J.T. Gross, T. Judt (eds.), The Politics of Retribution in Europe. World War II and Its Aftermath, Princeton New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 2000 [Virtuale]

2-L. Paggi, “La violenza, le comunità, la memoria”, pp. IX-XXXVII. In La memoria del nazismo nell'Europa di oggi, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1997 [Virtuale]

3-A. Sierp, “Le politiche della memoria dell’Unione europea”, pp. 19-33. In «Qualestoria», 2 (2021) Culture del ricordo e uso politico della storia nell’Europa contemporanea https://eut.units.it/it/fascicolo/qualestoria-rivista-di-storia-contemporanea-xlix-nro-2-dicembre-2021-culture-del-ricordo-e-uso-polit/4429

4-Markus J. Prutsch, “Totalitarismo e politiche europee della storia”, in Carlo Spagnolo (ed), Totalitarismo. Usi e abusi tra politica, storiografia e memorie, Viella 2025

5 -G. De Luna, cap. 4 “Il trionfo delle vittime” e cap. 5 “La competizione tra le vittime”, pp. 82-103. In La Repubblica del dolore. Le memorie di un’Italia divisa, Feltrinelli, 2015 [Virtuale]

6- R. S.C. Gordon, Scolpitelo nei cuori. L’Olocausto nella cultura italiana (1944-2010), Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2013, cap. 10- Dopo la consapevolezza, pp. 271-298. [The Holocaust in Italian Culture 1944-2010, Stanford, Stanford U.P., 2012, pp. 188-206] [Virtuale]

7-F. Focardi, “Neonazionalismo e paradigma antitotalitario. La sfida delle destre in Italia dagli anni Novanta a oggi”, in Carlo Spagnolo (ed), Totalitarismo. Usi e abusi tra politica, storiografia e memorie, Viella 2025

8- C. Gentile, “Le memorie dei perpetratori: rimozione, rivendicazione, cordoglio”, pp. 317-338. In Le vittime italiane del nazionalsocialismo, Viella, 2021 [Virtuale]

9- C. Cornelissen, “Gli intrecci fra cultura del ricordo e politica della storia. Il caso della Germania dagli anni Novanta”, pp. 137-154. In «Qualestoria», 2 (2021) Culture del ricordo e uso politico della storia nell’Europa contemporanea https://eut.units.it/it/fascicolo/qualestoria-rivista-di-storia-contemporanea-xlix-nro-2-dicembre-2021-culture-del-ricordo-e-uso-polit/4429

10- Clara Palmiste, Le colonie e la legge del buon francese, in «Passato e presente», 67 (2006), pp. 1-15

11- V. Deplano, “Memoria coloniale e memoria europea. Schiavismo, espansionismo e imperialismo nella narrazione della Casa della storia europea”, pp. 221-236, In «Memoria e Ricerca», 2 (2023) https://www-rivisteweb-it.ezproxy.unibo.it/doi/10.14647/107743

12- D. Guzzi, “Gli spettri della guerra d’Algeria. Conflitti di memoria e reticenze istituzionali nella Francia contemporanea”, pp. 301-318, In «Memoria e Ricerca», 2 (2023) https://www-rivisteweb-it.ezproxy.unibo.it/doi/10.14647/107747

13 - A. Pes, “Discorso pubblico e stereotipo del «buon colonizzatore». Le istituzioni italiane e il passato coloniale”, pp. 255-273, In «Memoria e Ricerca», 2 (2023) https://www-rivisteweb-it.ezproxy.unibo.it/doi/10.14647/107745

Teaching methods

The course alternates lectures and debates in which the active participation of students is required. For the preparation of class discussions, the texts will be uploaded on the "didactic materials" related to course.

Assessment methods

A student will be considered attending if they participate in at least 75% of the lectures. Active participation during classes is required for attending students.

For both attending and non-attending students, the oral examination of the Integrated Course (12 ECTS) will consist of a discussion of the texts and verification of the topics covered during lectures.

A passing grade will be awarded if the student demonstrates the ability to develop a chronological and critical argument regarding the main phases of the discipline, presented with appropriate academic rigor.

An intermediate grade will be awarded to students who, in addition to solid chronological and critical preparation, demonstrate adequate competence in working with sources.

To achieve an excellent grade, the student must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in lectures and in the assigned texts, combined with expressive mastery and discipline-specific language.

Knowledge gaps and/or inappropriate language, even within a context of minimal understanding of the examination material, will result in grades not exceeding the passing threshold.

The evaluation of the written paper will depend on originality and critical depth. The grade will be determined based on: timely submission; topic selection and relevance to course content; ability to identify appropriate sources and bibliography; critical analysis; clarity of structure and objectives; linguistic competence. The evaluation will also consider active participation and accuracy in oral presentations delivered during the course.

The course "Experiences and Memories of Western Europe" (6 ECTS) is part of the Integrated Course "Societies in Transition and Cultures of Conflict in Contemporary Europe" (12 ECTS).

If the student has included the Integrated Course (12 ECTS) in their study plan, the final grade will result from the arithmetic average of the grades obtained in the two module examinations, taken during the same examination session.

If the student has included only the course "Experiences and Memories of Western Europe" (6 ECTS) in their study plan, the final grade will be determined by the evaluation of the single module examination.

In both cases, there will be six examination sessions:
May, June, July
September, early/late January

Teaching tools

The course will employ PowerPoint presentations during lectures, occasionally supplemented with audiovisual materials and documentary sources. Additional didactic materials, including academic articles and short essays, will be made available on the course page within the "Virtuale" platform.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Toni Rovatti