7. The Second World War – narratives & remembrance

In this method, the participants discuss how differently European societies remember the Second World War and exchange on its various narratives by creating a common timeline of the most important events. This workshop can serve as an introduction to a more in-depth discussion on the Second World War.

• To initiate a discussion between participants about the remembrance of the Second World War
• To gain/learn a multi-perspective view on the Second World War and its remembrance
• To support a reflection on different historical narratives

• Second World War
• (European) remembrance
• Narratives

10 – 25

• 16 years+ with basic knowledge of the Second World War

1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours

• Moderation cards
• Markers
• Tape to form a timeline on a wall or on the ground
• The facilitator prepares working tables for all groups and a timeline around which the whole group can gather

Step 1 (5 minutes): the facilitator explains the content, objectives, and structure of the session and then divide the participants into groups of 4-5 people. They pay particular attention to the diversity of the participants within the group, e.g. background, country of residence, gender, level of historical knowledge, etc.

Step 2 (30 minutes): in the first stage of the group work, the participants are asked to think individually about the most crucial events of the Second World War and write them down. It is important that the participants do not recite what they have learnt at school, but that they think about the events that are important for them personally. These can be global or very local events. The participants then present those events to the rest of the small group and explain the reasons for choosing these events and why they are important for them. The facilitator shall make it clear that the participants are showing their own perspective by naming the most significant events.
In the second step, the participants discuss all events mentioned in their small groups and ask each other questions about unknown events or further background information.

The participants then discuss and select together the 5 most important events that they want to put on the common timeline and write them down on moderation cards (name and date of the event).

This exercise shows the different perspectives on the same event and the various existing narratives of this event. For example, some participants might have different views on the beginning or the end of the Second World War, or name different events that played a crucial role in the course of the war.

Step 3 (25 minutes): all participants come together. Each group presents their events and puts them on the collective timeline. After each presentation, the participants have the opportunity to ask questions to the presenting group.

Step 4 (30 minutes): once the common timeline has been created, the facilitator starts a two-stage discussion, first about the timeline, second about the working process in the small groups.

Possible questions about the timeline:

• What do you notice when looking at the timeline? What surprises you?
• Which events have been mentioned several times? Do they all have the same name and date, or are they mentioned in different ways? What could be the reasons for that?
• Are there any missing events that in your opinion should be on the timeline?
• Do you think the timeline shows a multi-perspective view on the Second World War (individual and collective, geographical, women’s perspectives, etc.)?
• What are the chances or benefits and dangers of looking at historical events from different perspectives?

Possible questions regarding the working process:

• How was your group work and the discussion?
• Was it easy to select your 5 events?
• What were the selection criteria?
• Did you learn anything new?

The participants should have at least a basic knowledge of the history of the Second World War. Only then will they be able to exchange ideas on the main events and discuss different perspectives and narratives.

This method is applicable to any historical event as long as the participants have a basic knowledge of it.