Essays in Memory of Jan-Georg Deutsch The volume observes some of the principles that drove
Prof. Jan-Georg Deutsch's research: highlighting present-day politics for the way they shape
historical remembrance learning from people on the ground through fieldwork and oral history
and bringing various parts of the African continent into discussion with one another. From Cape
Town to Charlottesville many societies are grappling with historical consciousness and the
production of public memory. In particular how and why societies remember and forget what
should serve as symbols of collective memory and whether there exists space for multiple
memory cultures are questions being vigorously debated once again. These discussions present
particular challenges not only to official memory bound to ideological constructions of
nationhood but also to the teaching of history and its links to social justice movements. The
volume re-centres Africa and African history in memory studies with each chapter drawing
parallels to comparable cases in Africa and the world. An underlying assumption is that what
can be learned from the politics of historical memory in Africa will have relevance for
contemporary politics globally and for understanding how memories can be mobilised for
political ends.
