Civil Society and Reconciliation: Voices from Post-War Japan, Germany and Italy

For decades, official state-sanctioned apologies have been the preferred tool to help rebuild broken international bonds, but their effectiveness in fostering national reconciliation is debatable. What has become clear, though, is the role civil society has played in facilitating people’s reflection upon the most rending aspects of their own past. From survivors, teachers to museum curators, ordinary people in Japan, Germany, and Italy are stepping into the vacuum and helping to bring formerly warring countries closer together. Presentation of project by Claudia Astarita and Akihiro Ogawa (Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne). Screening of documentary ‘Civil Society and Reconciliation’. Remarks by Riccardo Brizzi (University of Bologna) and Laura Fontana (European Holocaust Research Infrastructure, Paris). Followed by Q&A with the audience. Free event.