Archiv der Leerstellen: Leben und Widerstände der iranischen Diaspora in Berlin ( 1970-2000) Teil I

How does a community cope with being subjected to systematic state violence? How can acts of remembering function as political intervention? In this opening session, we will introduce the Archive of Blank Spaces by exploring the history of Daadkhahi in search of alternative forms of remembrance and historiography. We will look at how the quest for justice was pursued and upheld in Berlin’s exile community, and we will ask how grief has shaped political organizing. Assuming that oral history as a form of practical resistance, we want to look at the existential crisis that comes with displacement and political violence. How has Daadkhahi influenced other political movements? And how have practices of mourning and grief led to collective political action on the part of the Iranian community in Berlin? A film screening and a panel discussion will help us look back to better understand how remembrance is a means of survival and resistance.