I have been thinking about German Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung, and what other nations can learn from it, since I first came to Berlin in October 1982. Initial attempts to understand these questions appeared in my first book, Slow Fire: Jewish Notes from Berlin, but both Berlin itself and my reflections about it have developed considerably since that book appeared in 1992. Along the way, my thinking has been furthered by more people than I can probably remember, but this is a place to thank as many as I do. Margherita von Brentano introduced me to the complexities of Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung and showed me that there were Germans who took it seriously from the very start. I am grateful to Jan Philipp Reemtsma for detailed comments on one chapter, and even more for years of friendship and dialogue that have played a crucial role in my conviction that German Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung can be serious and deep. In addition to furthering that conviction concerning Germany’s past, Gesine Schwan has been a source of hope about its future. From Adrian Piper, who has written and spoken about these matters for many years, I have learned much. The same is true of Sander Gilman, who was also kind enough to read and comment on a controversial chapter. Conversations on the subject with Diane McWhorter have been as illuminating as they are delightful. A road trip with Diana Pinto, dashing from Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school sermon in Plains, Georgia, to the Reconstruction sites in South Carolina, left me breathless, and grateful for her reflections and her company. My rabbi, James Ponet, taught me much of what I know about Judaism, and has been a source of dialogue and encouragement for the last three decades. Through him I met David Shulman, who has been an inspiration for thinking critically about Jewish values and history, and how to put them into practice. Jennifer Stollman was not only my main Mississippi mentor; she read and commented on several versions of the manuscript. Her criticism and knowledge challenged my thinking, and her encouragement kept me going when I was unsure about the point of doing so. Sadly, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation is no longer based at the University of Mississippi, but I am grateful to the original institute for providing inspiration, as well as a research base in 2017.
I am indebted to all those who graciously granted me their time and thoughts in the interviews that were crucial for this book—including those whose voices, for reasons of space, were not directly quoted. Had I incorporated all the things I learned from them, this book would be twice as long as it is now. They are: Polina Aronson, Aleida Assmann, Christopher Benson, Omri Boehm, Hans Otto Bräutigam, Chelius Carter, Maudie and Langdon Clay, Leroy Clemson, Daniela Dahn, Mischa Gabowitsch, Susan Glisson, April Grayson, Adam Flaherty, Bill Foster, Ainka Jackson, Hans-Christian Jasch, Volkhard Knigge, Björn Krondorf, Cilly Kugelmann, Mariam Lau, Michael Löffelsender, Robert Lee Long, Jackie Martin, Jimmie Jewel McDonald, Diane McWhorter, James and Judy Meredith, Markus Messling, Frank Mitchener, Buka Okoye, Wheeler Parker, David Person, Peggy Pietsche, Peter Pogany-Wendt, Jalda Rebling, Jan Philipp Reemtsma, Jens Reich, Chuck Ross, Stewart Rutledge, Benjamin Salisbury, Samuel Schidem, Friedrich Schorlemmer, Ingo Schulze, Alexandra Sennft, Herman Simon, Bettina Stangneth, Bryan Stevenson, Jennifer Stollman, Johnny B. Thomas, Charles Tucker, Mike Wagner, Mae Ruth Watson, Patrick Weems, John Whitten III, Curtis Wilkie, Willie Williams, and Charles Reagan Wilson.
The very first work that led to this book was presented as a Beamer-Schneider Lecture at Case Western Reserve University in 2014; I am grateful to Jeremy Bendik Keymer for the invitation and the engaging discussion that followed. Once again, I found reason to count my blessings in having Sarah Chalfant as my agent; her warm and wise support accompanied the project from proposal to finish. Eric Chinski, Julia Ringo, Helen Conford, and Karsten Kredel all made editorial suggestions that sharpened the arguments as well as the prose. Dominic Bonfiglio’s expert research assistance was particularly helpful, not only because so many facts had to be checked but because his reflections on these matters were always incisive and thought-provoking. I am deeply indebted to you all.