Memory

Beginning in the 1960s, the Ludwig Uhland Institute (LUI) was one of the first institutes for Folklore Studies to place a greater emphasis on analyzing and critically examining processes of memory and invented traditions. Jewish Life-Worlds, along with modules on cultural heritage and the culture of memory, is an integral part of the curriculum. In addition, with its oral history archive, the image archive, and the material culture collection, the Institute has compiled reference material on processes of memory formation that is utilized for teaching purposes. At present, research is being conducted at LUI on memory concerning the National Socialist era and the Holocaust in societies shaped by migration (a German-Israeli joint project), on ways of dealing with collections in museums dating from the era of colonization, as well as on the history of the academic subject area. In this regard, in particular, the respective connections to the focus on diversity at LUI and to research on Eastern Europe play a vital role.

The LUI works together with archives, museums and other institutions working in the field of the production of memory. In concrete terms, the Badische Landesmuseum (Baden State Museum) and the Württembergische Landesmuseum (Württemberg State Museum – with the project Vernetzt lernen, forschen, vermitteln, or “Networked learning, research, and teaching”), in addition to the Linden Museum in Stuttgart (with the project Schwieriges Erbe or “Discomforting Heritage”) are involved in projects using third-party funding.