Heroic Imagination
Against normalization of evil in society - from the present to the past and back again
Are we different? The seemingly incomprehensible and inexplicable explosion of violence and evil always precedes often inconspicuous developments. We do tend to oversee invisible indications of evil before which we close our eyes, ignore them and tolerate them both with other people and with ourselves.
We are not different! Experiments of social psychology repeatedly prove that a substantial majority of us is capable of unimaginable acts and that the evil in society cannot act without silence of the passive majority.
Did we learn?
The idea of the Memorial of Silence in Bubny aims i.a. to acknowledge that the Holocaust
is a part of historical memory, a milestone in history that influenced the second half of the 20th century in the formation of modern society, especially with regard to the need to find a common code for eliminating the risk of repeating mass murder in the name of "the higher", but in fact a particular, ideological and in its essence hateful interests.
Holocaust represents the historical event that offers permanent lesson for other epochs of the development of human society. In order to keep the historical reminder lively even when eyewitnesses naturally leave, it is necessary to bind history with the present and show their common features to generations that come and gradually take over the imaginary wheel of social development.
One of the main goals of the Memorial of Silence in Bubny is active participation in education and training in the above spirit.
In cooperation with the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, the US Embassy in Prague and several EUNIC cultural institutes, there was a need to share some methodologies, approaches and examples of good practice in the form of a seminar to be held on October 17, 2017 at DOX.
Programme:
12:30 - 13:30 Optional viewing of the Reconstruction of Memory exhibition in DOX
13:30 - 14:00 Welcome - Director of the Memorial of Silence in Bubny - Pavel Štingl, Presentatin of the 'Against Normalization of Evil in Society' educational programme - Bob Kartous (EDUIn)
14:00 - 15:00 Remembrance Education - good practice examples from abroad
Simon Schepers - National coordinator of remembrance education in Flanders
dr. Matthias Heyl - director of educational department of the Ravensbruck Memorial
15:00 - 15:30 Coffee break
15:30 - 17:00 Philip Zimbardo's Heroic Imagination Project - Bystanders Effec
Marjan Verplancke - Kazerne Dossin, Mechelen, Milan Tomeš - Památník ticha Bubny
In cooperation with:
Bubny, DOX, US Embassy, Flemish Representation, Goethe Institute, Austrian Cultural Forum
Against the normalization of evil in society
Teaching heroism: An educational program by the Bubny Memorial of Silence
In 2016, American psychologist Philip Zimbardo approved the adaptation of one of his educational programs for use by the Memorial of Silence.
The working group involved in developing the Memorial's program is headed by Helena Kovaříková and includes experts Milan Tomeš (an expert on Zimbardo's writings and experiments), Bohumil Kartouz (EDUin), and Jiří Raiterman (who coordinates the educational programs at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art).