Moderation:
Michał Dębowski – Municipal Conservation Officer
Panellists:
- Agnieszka Kuchcińska-Kurcz – journalist, Head of the Dialogue Centre "Upheavals"
- Monika Szymanik – the "Kamienica w Lesie" bookstore and cafe
- Rafał Bajena – culture animator
- Grzegorz Czarnecki – artist photographer, journalist
- dr Paweł Migdalski – historian, researcher of Pomerania, University of Szczecin
- Dariusz Koronczewski – musician, culture animator
The debate concerned the cultural meaning of memory, understood as the entirety of dealing with the past and history by both individuals and social groups. It has been noticed that human memory is a conveyor belt of culture, a link between what is past and worth transmitting and what is and will be important in the future. It was said that memory could be defined as culture par excellence, as it is a feature of culture and its essence. The axiological meaning of memory was considered; the question was whether memory could be bad or good, right or wrong. Ultimately, this view was rejected, claiming that there is no one memory because memory is subject to various influences; it is the result of different perspectives, times and experiences. The panellists showed different views on memory both in the dimension of an individual and collective memory; they considered the legitimacy and moral aspects of conducting the so-called historical politics as an institutionalised form of "memory management". Various types of memory carriers (monuments, written sources, oral testimonies, monuments and street names) were discussed from the perspective of professional experience and social activity of people participating in the debate. Much attention was paid to the need for a sensible and balanced education in the field of memory. It was noticed that shaping collective memory and influencing the sphere of young people's values should be associated with an attempt to influence individual memory and refer to an authentic, personal experience.
