A presentation by Ruth Dittlmann (Hertie School). This event is part of the Political Economy Lunch Seminar (PELS).
Abstract: Awareness of past atrocities is widely seen as critical for restoring justice and building resilient democracies. Going beyond information provision, an increasing number of memorial sites, museums, and historical archives offer opportunities for public participation. Yet, little empirical evidence exists on the impact of participation in collective remembrance of past atrocities. Two experimental studies, one in the laboratory (n=552) and one in the field (n=900), show that participating in a large-scale, digital history project about NS persecution increases peoples' collective action intentions for further commemoration activities and for activities that support liberal democracy today, especially countering antisemitism, but does not significantly decrease their prejudice. While immediate effects on behavior abate, effects on collective action intentions persist over two weeks. As a mechanism the findings point to an increase in participative efficacy - the belief that one's actions can make a meaningful difference for the achievement of a collective goal. Overall, the findings suggest that digital history projects can motivate a range of collective actions that are critical for symbolic justice and well-functioning liberal democracies. (in collaboration with Oguzhan Turkoglu & Berenike Firestone)
Please register for this event by sending an email to Simone Dudziak (dudziak[at]hertie-school[dot]org) or by using the registration form on the sidebar.
