Against Standardization of Memory

This article deals with the rise of memorialization standards and policy-oriented attempts to engage transitional societies to develop and adopt specific normative forms of remembrance. The transitional justice paradigm brought a tremendous change moving the paradigm from a "duty to remember" to policy-oriented "memorialization standards" that promote Western memorial models as a template for the representation of past tragedies or mass crimes. The article argues that the human rights regime mandates normative standards that de-historicize and de-contextualize local knowledge key, which not only disables different patterns of dealing with a traumatic past but also may strengthen societal divisions on the ground.