Reading and discussion with Clemens Tangerding

Location

entrance free

The reading is part of a series sponsored by the Federal Agency for Civic Education entitled "Talking to each other", in which we are exploring local history in Augustusburg under the question "What actually happened here between 1933-1945?". Further events on topics such as the Gauführerschule, furniture storage, the death march through Erdmannsdorf as well as workshops and readings took place from April to October.

In his book published in 2024 "Rückkehr nach Rottendorf. Von Rechten, Linken und anderen normalen Leuten", historian Clemens Tangerding reports on his projects on the regional confrontation with Nazi history in smaller towns. Conflicts in villages are different to those in talk shows - people meet every day and have to deal with differences. The central question is: should politicians and the media learn from this?

Tangerding travelled through Germany for four years and realised: Staying can be just as valuable as keeping your distance. The real rift often runs through families - or through ourselves. The book invites us to take a fresh look at our origins and to engage openly with the past and present. The reading and discussion provide inspiration for this.