German colonialism and its formative influence on history and the present continue to occupy little space in the consciousness of the German majority society. Instead, memory spaces and persons of colonial history are regularly transfigured, downplayed or positively appreciated.
In Jürgen Zimmerer’s anthology, various relics associated with Germany’s violent colonial history are critically examined in easy-to-understand individual contributions.
Institutions, spaces, events and actors such as Albert Schweitzer’s hospital Lambaréné, Hagenbeck’s zoo, Kaiser Wilhelm II’s “Hun speech” or Alexander von Humboldt’s work as an “explorer” are brought to mind in the book in the context of their (genesis) history, their devastating effects and often unreflected perception in the present.
Jürgen Zimmerer 2013 (ed.): Kein Platz an der Sonne. Places of Remembrance of German Colonial History. Frankfurt a.M.: Campus.
If you don’t have a bookstore worth supporting near you, you can also buy the book from the alternative non-profit online bookstore links-lesen.de, which supports political projects with the profits. The link to the book is: http: //www.links-lesen.de/article/978-3-593-39811-2