Shattered spaces: Encountering Jewish ruins in postwar Germany and Poland
ruin, ruine, Jewish, juif, World War II, Seconde Guerre Mondiale, post-war, après-guerre, histoire urbaine, tourisme, mémoire, patrimoine urbain, Meng Michael, Germany, Allemagne, Poland, Pologne
<div><b>Abstract from the publisher:</b></div>
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After the Holocaust, the empty, silent spaces of bombed-out synagogues, cemeteries, and Jewish districts were all that was left in many German and Polish cities with prewar histories rich in the sights and sounds of Jewish life. What happened to this scarred landscape after the war, and how have Germans, Poles, and Jews encountered these ruins over the past sixty years?<br />
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In the postwar period, city officials swept away many sites, despite protests from Jewish leaders. But in the late 1970s church groups, local residents, political dissidents, and tourists demanded the preservation of the few ruins still standing. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, this desire to preserve and restore has grown stronger. In one of the most striking and little-studied shifts in postwar European history, the traces of a long-neglected Jewish past have gradually been recovered, thanks to the rise of heritage tourism, nostalgia for ruins, international discussions about the Holocaust, and a pervasive longing for cosmopolitanism in a globalizing world.<br />
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Examining this transformation from both sides of the Iron Curtain, Michael Meng finds no divided memory along West-East lines, but rather a shared memory of tensions and paradoxes that crosses borders throughout Central Europe. His narrative reveals the changing dynamics of the local and the transnational, as Germans, Poles, Americans, and Israelis confront a built environment that is inevitably altered with the passage of time. Shattered Spaces exemplifies urban history at its best, uncovering a surprising and moving postwar story of broad contemporary interest.</div>
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<b>Michael Meng</b> is Assistant Professor of History at Clemson University.</div>
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Michael Meng
Harvard University Press
November 2011
368
Ouvrage
Urban development in Europe
, politique urbaine, développement urbain, gouvernance, Europe, Union européenne, European Union, Belgium, Belgique, Cyprus, Chypre, Denmark, Danemark, France, Germany, Allemagne, Hungary, Hongrie, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Pays-Bas, Poland, Pologne, Portugal, Romania, Roumanie, Spain, Espagne, Sweden, Suède, United Kingdom, Royaume-Uni
<div><b>Abstract from the publisher:</b></div> </div> Cities play a crucial role in creating a sustainable, social and innovative Europe. Nowadays, cities have to face many challenges, especially since the arrival of the economic recession. For this reason, it is important to involve all actors and governmental layers and to exchange good practices, proven policies, skills and experiences. In other words, an integrated approach from local to European level. This key publication provides an overview of urban policy in 15 EU Member States.<br /> <br /> Each European country has its own background and national approach towards Urban Policy. How do they cope with current urban challenges and what are the impacts of national and European policy on cities? All the answers to these questions and many more are described in this year’s EUKN key publication. This survey has been conducted by the 15 EUKN National Focal Points and the EUKN Secretariat. In addition, the publication includes an interview with European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Mr. Johannes Hahn, Mr. Jan Olbrycht -Member of European Parliament and Chairman of the Urban Integroup- and Ms. Maria Rosario Alonso Ibáňez, the Director-General of Land and Urban Policies. All three share their views on a more inclusive and integrated urban Europe.</div> </div>
European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN)
EUKN
June 2010
128
Autre
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Policy/New_EUKN_publication_Urban_Development_in_Europe