Lungomare, 19.30 h

With: Siegfried Baur, Andrea Di Michele, Mauro Fattor, Christoph Franceschini, Teodora Lara Rivadeneira, Georg Rottensteiner; chaired by Giorgio Mezzalira

Border areas are places where there can be an alternation between the formation of reasons for conflict and the proposal of reasons for living together. Memories can present themselves as shared or with the uniforms of the respective blocks of identity and ethnicity. If we agree with the statement that memory and the culture of memory are important and powerful tools on which the organization of consensus and the legitimization of political power are founded, as well as being a patrimony the care of which consolidates the very image of a certain society, then we cannot avoid considering as central the issues which regard those means, those tools, which can represent and transport the memory/memories. Symbols and monuments are part of this set of tools. Bolzano, chief town which is applying to become European Capital of Culture in 2019, is our starting point.

We intend to reflect together on issues surrounding three themes, posed in the form of questions: Collective memory: How much weight does memory have on the relationships between linguistic groups, on their living together? Between history and memory: Why “defuse” the symbols and monuments to Fascism? Identity and public space: Erecting a monument to living together?