Overview

Bringing together approaches from cultural and urban history, as well as German studies and political theory, Clare Copley’s probing study reflects on post-unification responses to iconic Nazi architecture to reveal insights into power, legitimacy and memory politics in the Berlin Republic. Analysing public debates, physical interventions into the buildings and the structuring of the memory landscapes around them, the book demonstrates that the politics of memory impact not just upon the built environment of the post-dictatorship city, but upon the way decisions about it are made. In doing so, Nazi Buildings, Cold War Traces and Governmentality in Post-Unification Berlin makes the case for conceiving of a specifically ‘post-authoritarian’ governmentality and uses the responses to constructions like Goering’s Aviation Ministry, Tempelhof Airport and the Olympic complex to explore its features.

Full Product Details

9781350081536

Table of Contents

Reviews

An exquisite blend of history, cultural geography and politics, woven together with a compelling analytical frame - this book takes the study of memory traces in the contemporary urban environment to a new level. * Neil Gregor, Professor of Modern European History, University of Southampton, UK * This subtle and theoretically sophisticated book explores how modern Germans look at, and argue about, three iconic Nazi buildings in their capital city. It is, however, much more than an architectural history. Copley tells the story of a nation struggling with a history that is becoming ever more distant, but can never become 'normal'. * Maiken Umbach, Professor of Modern European History, University of Nottingham, UK * Nazi Buildings, Cold War Traces, and Governmentality is a richly layered exploration of government practices, urban space, and the politics of memory in post-reunification Berlin. Copley expertly shows how a preoccupation with practicing liberal democratic values infuse Berliners' debates about how to preserve and memorialize Nazi monumentalist architecture and constitute a specifically post-authoritarian governmentality. * Nicole Eaton Assistant Professor of History Boston College, USA *

An exquisite blend of history, cultural geography and politics, woven together with a compelling analytical frame - this book takes the study of memory traces in the contemporary urban environment to a new level. * Neil Gregor, Professor of Modern European History, University of Southampton, UK * This subtle and theoretically sophisticated book explores how modern Germans look at, and argue about, three iconic Nazi buildings in their capital city. It is, however, much more than an architectural history. Copley tells the story of a nation struggling with a history that is becoming ever more distant, but can never become 'normal'. * Maiken Umbach, Professor of Modern European History, University of Nottingham, UK *

Author Information

Clare Copley is Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Central Lancashire, UK.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available