The Archive: A Living Place?!
More Than Just Files and Folders
by David Muñoz Aristizábal
An archive—that sounds like dust, silence, and locked shelves. The “Offener Prozess” archive is the exact opposite. It’s a vibrant place that grows, changes, and is shaped by the people involved—it’s far from a finished project!
At the heart of it all is a simple yet politically charged question: Whose stories are remembered? State archives often reflect the perspective of the majority society. Our archive consciously counters this: It collects the experiences of people who have been marginalized or simply forgotten in official records—victims of right-wing and racist violence, dissenting voices, the realities of migrant life in East Germany, and many others.
What is a Living Archive?
The concept of the “Living Archive” breaks with the traditional model of preservation. It’s not about putting originals behind glass. It’s about processes, participation, and the question of how the past and the present interact.
For us, this means:
- Focus on Community: The archive thrives on participation. The communities involved manage and document their own history.
- Multimedia Diversity: In addition to physical objects, the archive includes digital recordings, social media content, oral history interviews, and even embodied knowledge such as oral traditions.
- Present & Future: History is not set in stone once and for all, but is constantly reinterpreted and critically examined.
A photo, an old flyer, a recorded conversation, or even a painting: These are the building blocks from which the Living Archive creates a counter-narrative to the official culture of remembrance—a fascinating learning laboratory for our society.
You, too, can participate in the Living Archive!
We are currently conducting an intensive collection campaign focusing on the NSU complex, right-wing terrorism, racism, and, in particular, East Germany’s history of migration and resistance. The myth that East Germany has no history of migration is simply not true. Our archive aims to prove this.
We’re not looking for spectacular museum pieces, but rather memories that tell stories:
- Photos, letters, diaries, personal everyday items.
- Flyers, posters, recordings from workshops or storytelling cafés.
- Academic papers (e.g., term papers or theses) on these topics.
- Recorded interviews with eyewitnesses (oral history).
You don’t have to hand over your originals permanently—often, a photo or a digital scan is enough. What matters is the knowledge contained within them.
Join us! The archive thrives on your contributions. If you have material related to these topics—or if you’re simply curious about what’s in the archive—feel free to get in touch or stop by to do some research. You’re very welcome!
