RIHA Journal (Jul 2017)
Introduction to Special Issue "War Graves / Die Bauaufgabe Soldatenfriedhof, 1914-1989"
Abstract
Commemoration of the dead is intricately linked to the history of civilization itself. Consequently, art history (understood in a broad sense, encompassing architectural history, social history of art, aesthetics, political iconography, etc.) is characterized by a long tradition of paying minute attention to Christian and profane iconography of chapels, epitaphs, and death dances; and to memorials, tombs, and other manifestations, particularly with regard to the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times. Twentieth century war graves, war cemeteries, memorial shrines, and burial sites of the fallen, however, have received only little attention. This assessment was the starting point of our joint endeavor: If the history of conflicts and wars, and the history of war death in particular, is such a major topic for the humanities at large, and especially for contemporary and cultural history, memory studies, etc., then the question arises to what degree art history can contribute to that ongoing discourse. Sketching a Potentially Global Field of Research Table of Contents Acknowledgements Sources and Materials Basic Research on War Graves and War Cemeteries in The Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin / Kriegsgräber im Politischen Archiv des Auswärtigen Amtes in Berlin The Archive of the German War Graves Commission in Kassel / Das Archiv des Volksbundes Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. in Kassel War Graves, War Cemeteries, and Memorial Shrines since 1914: A Selected Bibliography Selected Printed Source Material
