Locations and historic sites can be powerful places that hold the potential to be transformed into a site of conscience. This dialogue features resource practitioners from the International Coalition. They are dedicated to remembering past struggles for justice and addressing their legacies. The International Coalition links historical sites from across the world to transform places that preserve the past into spaces that promote civic action on today’s struggles for human rights and justice.
Tactical Examples Shared in the Conversation:
- “Dilemmas + Decisions” is a youth media project created by the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. It explores ways youth are documenting their thoughts and using media as a social tool to explore the issue of “citizenship.”
- The Liberation War Museum engages students through an oral history project to teach them about human rights, peace, and tolerance. They do so in the light of history of the liberation war.
- The Manzanar National Historic Site and Interpretive Center facilitates Japanese-Americans returning to WWII internment camp locations. They write oral histories and share their history with the public. They reaffirm the memory of the internment camps.
- Traveling Museum of Liberation War Museum carrying displays on the Bangladesh liberation war. It travels 15 to 20 days to cover all the schools around the area.
- “Change the World One Class at a Time.” A Middle School class created a Children’s Holocaust Museum in an old railway carriage. They collected six million paper clips to symbolize individual Jewish victims of the Holocaust. By building this memorial, the children learned about and processed the Holocaust, honoring the memory of those who died.
- The Power of Place, Tactical Notebook: Human rights activists as well as the museum community can make effective use of the spatial impact of historic sites to help educate people about social change and human rights.
Summary
Power and Purpose of Sites of Conscience
Participants discussed the purpose and effect of sites of conscience. The discussion began with a description of the organizations involved. Exploring how they linked history and memory of place with current challenges of human rights issues. Participants stressed the historical and contemporary power of these places. One participant wrote, “The key to the success of the tactic of linking the past to the present is that it only works if it is sustained and engages many different constituencies on many levels.” Memory sites can help dialogue and inspire reflection through visual learning.
Engaging Youth through Creative Tactics
Sites of conscience have developed creative tactics to engage citizens, particularly youth. Some of these tactics include guided discussions, poster illustrations, tours, etc… Many museums, such as the Liberation War Museum and the Japanese American National Museum, use methods that help youth empathize with the victims. The Liberation War Museum began a traveling museum in 2004 to reach the schools in its surrounding area. Civic and youth engagement is integral to the success of sites of conscience. As one participant wrote, “it is necessary that the power of place be harnessed through creative and innovative programming which should ideally start at the very beginning of the development phase of the site.” Sites of conscience use civic and youth engagement to make the past relevant to modern contexts and speak to current issues. The Japanese American National Museum shared an example of their youth program, articulating how to do these tasks.
Challenges in Complex and Restrictive Environments
Existing in post-conflict, post-genocide countries, as these sites often do, presents challenges. Challenges such as information sharing, addressing the living past and helping victims reflect. Restrictive regimes create obstacles for information sharing, forcing sites to end discussions on current human rights issues or even to avoid past issues. Sites must think of creative solutions to bypass government censors. As one participant writes, “Trained facilitators who can lead discussions, conduct conflict resolution activities and help to foster active civic engagement are crucial.” The International Coalition has shifted focus in light of these challenges. It recognizes that, “it must develop a broader strategy for legitimizing the Sites of Conscience approach to any stakeholders that might stand in the way of Coalition members.”
Memory Sites as Tools for Healing
One participant writes, “sites of memory are increasingly being recognised for their potential role in contributing to the healing processes of survivors of human rights violations as well as for post-conflict societies more broadly.” Participants discussed how memory of place is usefull for the healing process. They also mentioned how historical museums serve the purpose of a larger “box” for containing the memories of many. Another participant wrote, “Historical site museums of conscience provide the space where the broader society can bear witness and acknowledge its culpability for past wrongs and the opportunity to seek ways for society to create a better future.” Oral history projects are examples of ways sites of conscience provide healing for survivors.
Collaborating with Human Rights Organizations
Sites of conscience can partner with human rights organizations to address past and present human rights issues. Democratic dialogue sponsored by museums and historical sites provides new ways of seeing and tackling human rights issues. Tribunals and truth and reconciliation committees are examples of ways human rights advocates and organizations use memory of place. The Center for Victims of Torture is an example of an organization that employs memory of place and human rights advocacy to address human rights issues, particularly torture survivors.
Shared Resources
