Representing the Other and the Democratization of History. Polish Reenactors in Nazi Uniforms
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Kamila Baraniecka-Olszewska
Abstract
Through a case study of the World War II reenactment movement in Poland, this article analyzes the relationship between the processes of the democratization of history and the normalization of the Nazi past. There are numerous groups whose members dedicate their time to represent Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS units and do so in the public while reenacting battles or restaging historical events. Despite the dominant moral attitude which condemns representing troops that committed war crimes and atrocities, reenactors defend their hobby, offering an alternative, in their opinion, moral and critical way of engaging with the Nazi past. The author argues that presenting views on WWII in the public sphere is possible due to the process of the democratization of history. However, she also demonstrates that the very same process means that reenactors’ efforts are misunderstood by their audiences. Also, these reenactment practices have contributed to normalizing the Nazi past.
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Special section on: “Towards a Democratization of History? Public History and Europe’s ‘Difficult’ Pasts of the 20th Century”
- Introduction: Understanding Diverse Uses of Painful Pasts. A Plea for Conscious Normativity
- The Haunting Past of Colonialism in Belgium the Death of Patrice Lumumba in Public Memory
- Opportunities and Challenges in Memory Activism: The Case of the Mittenwald Protest Campaign (2002–2009)
- Representing the Other and the Democratization of History. Polish Reenactors in Nazi Uniforms
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- In the Shadow of the Queen: On UNESCO’S Universal History, the Women of the Petit Trianon, and Tourist Meaning-Making
- IFPH 10th Anniversary
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Special section on: “Towards a Democratization of History? Public History and Europe’s ‘Difficult’ Pasts of the 20th Century”
- Introduction: Understanding Diverse Uses of Painful Pasts. A Plea for Conscious Normativity
- The Haunting Past of Colonialism in Belgium the Death of Patrice Lumumba in Public Memory
- Opportunities and Challenges in Memory Activism: The Case of the Mittenwald Protest Campaign (2002–2009)
- Representing the Other and the Democratization of History. Polish Reenactors in Nazi Uniforms
- Article
- In the Shadow of the Queen: On UNESCO’S Universal History, the Women of the Petit Trianon, and Tourist Meaning-Making
- IFPH 10th Anniversary
- Locally Grounded Practices, Global Conversations
- Public History in
- Perspectives on Public History in Colombia
