From Dictatorship to Democratic Memory

Description:

Transitional Justice and Public Memory: Taiwan and Post-SED Societies Language: Mandarin / German (with live translation) Description After the end of authoritarian rule, how can societies come to terms with the past while moving toward a democratic future? This session compares Taiwan’s experience of transitional justice with that of post-SED societies in Germany. It looks at approaches such as the opening of political archives, legal and compensation mechanisms, and the development of memorial spaces and civic education. Through cross-national dialogue, the discussion explores how truth, responsibility, and memory can become part of democratic institutions, and how historical trauma may be transformed into shared public awareness rather than being forgotten. Outline > What is transitional justice? Differences in how it has been practiced in Taiwan and former East Germany > The opening of Stasi archives vs. Taiwan’s political archives framework > How states address perpetrators and victims: courts, compensation, and truth-seeking processes > Challenges of social division and reconciliation > Building public memory: memorial spaces (e.g., White Terror Memorial Park vs. Berlin Wall Memorial), museums, media, and the role of civic education > How democratic societies integrate historical memory into institutional frameworks Speaker: Markus Meckel Speaker Bio: Markus Meckel is a German theologian, politician, and public historian who played a key role in the democratic opposition in East Germany and in the peaceful revolution of 1989. He co-initiated the Social Democratic Party in the GDR, became a member of the first freely elected parliament in 1990, and served as Foreign Minister of East Germany during the negotiations leading to German reunification. From 1990 to 2009 he was a member of the German Bundestag, where he helped initiate parliamentary work on the communist past and the foundation of the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in East Germany, whose council he later chaired. Host: 林育立 Lin Yu-li Journalist, Author, Translator, and Interpreter