Photocollage and commentary by Tristan Brown.
One of the concepts this course and its predecessor grapple with is the idea of memory conflicting– who is allowed space and for what? Can tragedies be compared? Can we hold equal amounts of space for varying tragedies? Outside of the Shoah memorial was a sign about the Rwandan Genocide. Tucked away on the side of a busy bridge lies the memorial for 17 October 1961. The emotions I have personally felt over these past few days have been very profound. There is a joy in seeing iconic figures I have imagined from early in my childhood, such as the Eiffel Tower, but there is a deep despair found in directly wrestling with memorials that deal with the deaths of children. It has been easy to briefly cry, and move on our tour to the next lieu de mémoire. It has certainly been an enriching experience, and the depth of material we have been able to discuss has been enlightening. Really taking in these heavy concepts has certainly impacted me. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.
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Map of emotions and memories in Paris by Lily Nagdeman.
