Engagement in #everynamecounts project boosts commitment to remembrance, democracy and human rights, shows research coordinated by Hertie School Professor Ruth Ditlmann.
As countries across Europe mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a new study offers timely insights into how societies can keep the memory of Nazi persecution alive. The research, conducted by researchers from the Hertie School and the Berlin Social Science Centre (WZB), in collaboration with the Arolsen Archives, shows that digital and participatory initiatives can sustainably enhance engagement with remembrance projects, the promotion of democracy, and the protection of human rights, offering robust evidence of the transformative impact of active participation.
As countries across Europe mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, new research offers timely insights into how societies can keep the memory of Nazi persecution alive. The study shows that digital and participatory initiatives can sustainably enhance engagement with remembrance projects, the promotion of democracy and the protection of human rights. Conducted by researchers from the Hertie School and the Berlin Social Science Centre (WZB), in collaboration with the Arolsen Archives, the study offers robust evidence of the transformative impact of active participation.
The investigation focusses on engagement in #everynamecounts, a crowdsourcing project by the Arolsen Archives, where volunteers digitise information about victims of Nazi persecution. The study’s key finding: individuals who actively contributed were significantly more willing to engage in civic activities – especially in efforts to combat antisemitism.
The results were presented by co-authors Ruth Ditlmann, Professor of Psychology and Public Policy at the Hertie School, and Berenike Firestone, Postdoctoral Fellow at the WZB, at a public discussion hosted at the Hertie School in collaboration with Arolsen Archives.
Empowering citizens through participation
In the study, the researchers conducted two randomised studies involving approximately 1,500 participants and compared the outcomes of active engagement with those of passive information consumption. They found that participants who took an active role demonstrated more willingness to support initiatives, sign petitions, and make charitable donations.
“Our findings highlight the powerful potential of participatory approaches compared with traditional methods focussed solely on information delivery. Active involvement strengthens individuals’ belief in their own efficacy – a vital catalyst for civic engagement,” said Professor of Psychology and Public Policy Ruth Ditlmann at the Hertie School, who coordinated the study.
The study further shows that participatory remembrance work significantly boosts participants’ confidence in their capacity to effect change – a critical factor in fostering enduring civic engagement. Many participants reported that their involvement gave them a stronger sense of actively contributing to preserving collective memory and building an open, democratic society.
Broadening historical awareness
Floriane Azoulay, Director of the Arolsen Archives, stresses: “Active and low-threshold personal involvement in digital remembrance projects is extremely important to us. The study now even demonstrates: A personal involvement in #everynamecounts creates a collective and powerful form of remembrance that was not possible before - personal and globally connected, while engaging with others. This creates space for reflection and experience, and points the way to action.”
“Active involvement strengthens individuals’ belief in their own efficacy – a vital catalyst for civic engagement.”
Moreover, the study indicates that engaging with the history of Nazi persecution can heighten awareness of other historical injustices, such as colonial crimes. This finding challenges the assumption that remembrance work operates as a zero-sum game in which different causes compete for limited public attention.
The research underscores the unique potential of digital remembrance initiatives like #everynamecounts. To harness this potential even further, the authors call for studies into participatory formats in different countries and in relation to other forms of historical injustice.
Further information and access to the study
The study, “Participating in a digital-history project mobilises people for symbolic justice and better intergroup relations today”, authored by Ruth Ditlmann, Berenike Firestone and Oguzhan Turkoglu, recently appeared in Psychological Science, available here. The project was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.
Watch a video recording of the presentation below.
About the Arolsen Archives
The Arolsen Archives are the world’s largest archive on the victims and survivors of National Socialism. The collection has information on about 17.5 million people and belongs to UNESCO’s Memory of the World. It contains documents on the various victim groups targeted by the Nazi regime and is an important source of knowledge for society today.