Memory methodology as post-apartheid atrocity prevention: the District Six Museum

This article examines the role of civil society organizations in mass atrocity prevention through a case study of the District Six Museum in Cape Town, South Africa. Drawing on interviews, field observations, and archival documents, we analyze how the Museum operates both as a memory site and engages in community organizing activities with atrocity prevention effects. Its distinctive “memory methodology” centers the voices of former District Six residents and emphasizes values of dialogue, solidarity, reciprocity, and non-racialism. Although not framed explicitly as atrocity prevention, these practices align with criteria for memory sites working in prevention which include assessing the risks of identity-based violence and responding with programming that builds resilience and social cohesion. The case contributes to efforts to develop theory that clarifies the role for public administration in mitigating mass atrocity risk.