Participatory action research on dealing with the 'New Hambach Festival'

In Germany and other countries, conflicts over democracy are increasingly being fought out. In these political disputes, democracy serves as a point of reference for all those involved in the conflict, but is interpreted differently in each case. In the name of democracy, questions of minority rights, freedom of expression, national affiliation or the culture of remembrance are controversially discussed. Verbal, structural and even direct violence is on the rise, especially from radicalized right-wing actors. This can currently be clearly observed in the context of Hambach Castle, the symbolic 'cradle of German democracy'. It has become a venue for polarizing conflicts over democracy, at least since the 'New Hambach Festival' was held there by nationalist-populist groups. This puts the solidary, pluralistic and emancipatory significance of Hambach Castle as a central place of remembrance in the history of democracy at risk. This project explores the potential of elicitive peace education to respond appropriately to this situation.

The aim of the research is to use the example of the 'New Hambach Festival' to identify and reflect on the potential of peace education in dealing with polarizing conflicts about democracy. The study thus fills a research gap at the interface of educational practice, peace and conflict research and peace education. It promotes:

• the transfer of knowledge between practical peace education projects in the field and peace education theory development,
• the didactic treatment of conflicts about democracy,
• the empirical testing of the still young approach of elicitive peace education.

Elicitive peace education focuses on the participants in the conflict and enables them to develop context-specific next steps in the conflict from their respective perspectives.

The program

The Peace Academy RLP and the Israeli educational and meeting center Givat Haviva sealed their cooperation in March 2017 with a Memorandum of Understanding. Since then, the two institutions have been working on joint project initiatives in the field of education and research.

The cooperation agreement picks up on the joint declaration of intent that the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the state of Israel signed in March 2016 regarding the expansion and cooperation in the field of education.

Together with renowned partner institutions from Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Belgium, Givat Haviva, the University of Haifa and the Peace Academy are currently developing a comprehensive and sustainable
5-year program on knowledge and action skills in Shared Societies.

The perspective of a Shared Society goes beyond previously preferred approaches of peaceful coexistence between and within societies. A shared society program focuses on enabling all social groups and individuals to participate in society as fully and equally as possible and is therefore a sustainable model for the challenges facing democracy in the 21st century. This new and innovative perspective on action is equally suitable for countries facing increasing migration movements and current integration challenges, such as Germany, as well as for countries with internal social conflicts or discrimination against minorities, such as Israel.

The aim of the five-year project is the critical examination and further development of knowledge, innovative methodological approaches and the establishment of an expert network in the context of "Shared Society - Diverse Community". The project brings together renowned experts from science and practice to advance their scientific and practical work in an international learning community.

The starting point of the project is the first Autumn School on "Developing the next generation of Shared Society theory and practices", which took place from 2 to 9 October 2018 at the Givat Haviva campus in Israel and will subsequently be held annually in one of the five partner countries.

Pilot project: Shared Society in Trier

The pilot project in Trier is part of the international program. The principles of a shared society - cohesion, equality, diversity and participation - are to be translated into concrete projects in each country. In Germany, the Peace Academy RLP as a scientific partner and the Advisory Council for Migration and Integration of the City of Trier as a practical partner are taking on the task of jointly putting this perspective into practice. The aim of the five-year cooperation is to introduce the concept of the "Shared Society" into the migration and integration work of the city of Trier and to initiate and supervise pilot projects.

A joint project initiative of the Peace Academy RLP & the Protestant Academy of the Palatinate

The former Siegfried Line is many things: historical heritage, protected monument, place of remembrance and commemoration, habitat, nature reserve, "tourist attraction" as well as potential learning and experience space and sometimes also a political burden when it comes to the adequate and constructive handling of the ruins and the landscape.

A wide variety of stakeholder groups are involved in the former Siegfried Line on a voluntary or professional basis. They all have different experiences, biographies, interests and ideas about how this space, this memorial, this place of perpetrators, this border and neighborhood space should be "constructively used".

The past and the future are in a reciprocal relationship with each other. This relationship is made clear by the architecture of the facilities. The former Siegfried Line still leaves traces in the region's public space today. It is therefore a place with a symbolic and educational character.

Looking at the former Siegfried Line from a variety of perspectives, exciting, present and future-oriented questions arise:

• How can the nature conservation areas that have been created be preserved and at the same time used for environmental education work?
• How can the former Siegfried Line be preserved as a memorial/memorial site and at the same time become a place of learning for contemporary issues?
• As a cultural tourist "attraction", how can it also stimulate reflection on the past as well as current and future challenges?
• What is the significance of the historical symbol "Westwall" in the face of resurgent nationalisms, new violent border conflicts and increasing isolation in the face of global refugee movements?

In 2017, the Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate and the Protestant Academy of the Palatinate launched a project initiative to develop a sustainable strategic concept for a contemporary and future-oriented approach to the former Siegfried Line. The stakeholder workshop on January 26, 2017 in Mainz was the starting point for the consultation process over the coming months. The aim of the consultation process is to identify and develop key requirements for action, create a map of the stakeholder groups involved and draw up criteria for an overall concept for political education work.

Together with stakeholders active in the field, we would like to address the question of what a shared responsibility for this space could look like. The kick-off event therefore also offered time and space to formulate one's own interests, central needs and ideas for the future handling of the former Siegfried Line.

The impulse paper 'Memorial to the former Siegfried Line - Shared responsibility for a border area' is available online here.

Consultation process

The project initiative of the Peace Academy RLP and the Protestant Academy of the Palatinate is working with relevant stakeholders to initiate a strategy for a future-oriented approach to the former Siegfried Line sites.

The consultation process began with a stakeholder workshop on January 26, 2018 in Mainz and is scheduled to run until September 2019. The results of the process will be set out in a strategy paper, which will present the action requirements to be identified and options for action to be developed, as well as criteria for an overall concept.

The consultation process includes various milestones and activities, such as stakeholder interviews, public events and exchange platforms for the development of a joint strategy.

Upcoming & previous events