In Between States: Field notes and speculations on postwar landscapes

Page 29

The monument was knocked down. No one claims to know when. The last Jewish refugees were moved out and the original residents swept back into their old homes, wiping away all evidence. Official conversation is polite now, spoken through tight smiles. On the tour I am taken to the location where a new monolith sits erect, polished granite and bronze with a sprawling text in German translated for me by the reporter. Softer words have been chosen for this version. Responsibility is diffuse. History reshaped by those left behind to control it.

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