Posted on November 21, 2010

Don't miss this site if you have an interest in memorialisation!

The Memory & Justice website is a project of the International Center for Transitional Justice IICTJ). It was created to provide interested parties with a forum to exchange views and learn about the emerging field of memorialization as a form of accountability for past atrocity. The website features numerous public memorials/memory-works/sites of memory/sites of conscience/museums of memory and similar accountability projects (there are many different terms used), as well as some of the most interesting intellectual debates. The site is meant to be participatory, and the ICTJncourage encourages users to engage with the site and to send recommendations, information, and evaluations about new sites.

The ICTJ was founded in 2001 in an effort to assist countries pursuing accountability for past crimes against humanity or human rights abuse. The Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in other societies where legacies of abuse remain unresolved. The mission of ICTJ is to redress and prevent severe violations of human rights by confronting legacies of mass abuse. ICTJ seeks holistic solutions to promote just and peaceful societies. Public memorials can contribute to accomplishing these goals. In some cases, they can 'redress' severe violations by providing victims a public space to be heard, seen, and recognized, and can in this way provide solace. These initiatives can also contribute to the very complex and multi-causal goal of 'prevention'. By being visible reminders on the landscape, by developing pedagogical programming aimed at teaching lessons from the past, and in other ways that are discussed on this site, public memorials can help to create the conditions through which repetition of these crimes becomes less likely. That said, these initiatives can also have the opposite effect. In some post-conflict and post-authoritarian contexts, public memorials can fan the flames of hatred and resentment. When they are created to celebrate ethnic or racial superiority over other groups or to lionize perpetrators of abuse, they can sabotage the building of rights-respecting societies. When memorials are created to assign 'blame' to certain groups, they can create angry or defensive reactions. In short, we must engage with public memorials, recognizing where and when they lead to redress and prevention, and commenting on when they are not doing this. This website is meant to be a forum for that debate.

The list of sites included on the Memory & Justice website is not meant to be exhaustive, and indeed it would be impossible to include every relevant site in the world. In fact, the selection of sites is somewhat arbitrary, as they have been chosen based on where ICTJ's memory program has been most active. That said, the website has made an effort not to include memory sites that contribute to conflict, authoritarianism, hatred, resentment, racism, or have other harmful effects on society. We recognize that there are different readings of memorials, however, and there is not a perfect science to making these determinations. Nonetheless, we reserve the right not to feature any site that we believe - in consultation with close partners - violates the spirit of this website.

Source: International Centre for Transitional Justice: Memory & Justice Website