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The Myth of Responsibility: Colonial Cruelties and Silence in German Political Discourse

  • Germany is considered a role model for dealing with past mass atrocities. In particular, the social reappraisal of the Holocaust is emblematic of this. However, when considering the genocide on the Herero and Nama in present-day Namibia, it is puzzling that an official recognition was only pronounced after almost 120 years, in May 2021. For a long time, silence surrounded this colonial cruelty in German political discourse. Although the discourse on German responsibility toward Namibia emerged after the end of World War II, it initially appeared detached from the genocide. That silence on colonial atrocities is to be considered a cruelty itself. Studies on silence have been expanding and becoming richer. Building on these works, the paper sets two goals: First, it advances the theorization of silence by producing a new typology, which is then integrated into discourse-bound identity theory. Second, it applies this theory to the analysis of the silencing and later acknowledging of the genocide on the Herero and Nama by German politicalGermany is considered a role model for dealing with past mass atrocities. In particular, the social reappraisal of the Holocaust is emblematic of this. However, when considering the genocide on the Herero and Nama in present-day Namibia, it is puzzling that an official recognition was only pronounced after almost 120 years, in May 2021. For a long time, silence surrounded this colonial cruelty in German political discourse. Although the discourse on German responsibility toward Namibia emerged after the end of World War II, it initially appeared detached from the genocide. That silence on colonial atrocities is to be considered a cruelty itself. Studies on silence have been expanding and becoming richer. Building on these works, the paper sets two goals: First, it advances the theorization of silence by producing a new typology, which is then integrated into discourse-bound identity theory. Second, it applies this theory to the analysis of the silencing and later acknowledging of the genocide on the Herero and Nama by German political elites. To this end, Bundestag debates, official documents, and statements by relevant political actors are analyzed in the period from 1980 to 2021. The results reveal the dynamics between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic discursive formations, how those are shifting in a period of 40 years, and what role silence plays in it. Beyond our emphasis on the genocide on the Herero and Nama, our findings might benefit future studies as the approach proposed in this paper can make silence a tangible research object for global studies.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Pauline Augsten, Sebastian Glassner, Jenni Rall
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-10437
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksab040
Parent Title (English):Global Studies Quarterly
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2022
Year of Completion:2022
Date of first Publication:2022/03/17
Publishing Institution:Universität Passau
Release Date:2022/05/27
Article Number:1
Page Number:12 Seiten
First Page:1
Last Page:12
Source:Global Studies Quarterly, Volume 2, Issue 2, April 2022
Institutes:Philosophische Fakultät
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 32 Politikwissenschaft / 320 Politikwissenschaft
open_access (DINI-Set):open_access
Funding Acknowledgement:Gefördert durch den Open-Access-Publikationsfonds der Universitätsbibliothek Passau.
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International