Agency in Transnational Memory Politics (Paperback or Softback)

The dynamics of transnational memory play a central role in modern politics, from postsocialist efforts at transitional justice to the global legacies of colonialism. Yet, the relatively young subfield of transnational memory studies remains underdeveloped and fractured across numerous disciplines, even as nascent, boundary-crossing theories on topics such as multi-vocal, traveling, or entangled remembrance suggest new ways of negotiating difficult political questions. This volume brings together theoretical and practical considerations to provide transnational memory scholars with an interdisciplinary investigation into agency―the “who” and the “how” of cross-border commemoration that motivates activists and fascinates observers.

Jenny Wüstenberg is Professor of History & Memory Studies at Nottingham Trent University. She is the founder and past Co-President of the Memory Studies Association (2016-2023), as well as Chair of the COST Action on “Slow Memory: Transformative Practices in Times of Uneven and Accelerating Change” (2021-2025). She is the author of Civil Society and Memory in Postwar Germany (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and the co-editor, most recently, of Agency in Transnational Memory Politics (with Aline Sierp, Berghahn 2020) and the Routledge Handbook of Memory Activism (with Yifat Gutman, 2023).

Aline Sierp is Associate Professor in European History & Memory Studies at Maastricht University (NL). Her research interests cover contested histories, memory politics, questions of identity and European integration. Aline is the co-founder and past Co-president of the Memory Studies Association and the Council of European Studies’ Research Network on Transnational Memory and Identity in Europe.