Remembering the ‘Long 1960s': How Contemporary Left and Right-Wing Movements in Germany Relate to a Contentious Past

Often referred to simply as the ‘68 movement’, the long 1960s mark nearly two decades of unrest, violence, and civil disobedience in East and West Germany. While more than 40 years ago, this period remains an emotive issue in the German public discourse till today. Retrospect interpretations of this period range from idealization to demonization. While the protests of the long 60s have received much scholarly attention (particularly the protests in West Germany), analyses of memory work related to this period are largely missing – in contrast to research about its counterparts in other Western European countries such as France and Italy.

The project explores how contemporary movements in Germany remember this period of protests – left movements such as the German Global Justice and Occupy movements as well as right-wing populist movements such as PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident). How do these contemporary movements relate to this contentious past? In how far does their memory work differ from the public memory of the long 60s? The analysis will provide insights into present day notions of citizenship as well as into contemporary dynamics of political activism in East and West Germany.