Memory and Memorialization after Atrocities

Abstract Atrocity crimes tear apart the social fabric of society. One mechanism communities and nations utilize to begin the healing from atrocity crimes is through the development of physical memorials that aim to commemorate a past fraught with trauma and violence. This chapter begins by defining memorialization, memorials, and commemoration and explores why memorials have become a viable option—for communities, nations, and individuals—in the aftermath of atrocity. It examines the three global social and intellectual movements of the 1990s central to the emergence of contemporary memorial culture: the memory boom, the human rights movement, and the justice cascade. Finally, it analyzes the challenges arising during memorialization aimed at reparation and justice. Like all multifaceted mechanisms of transitional justice, memorialization has both promises and pitfalls as both a process and an outcome.