Between Puzzle Room and Memory Culture: Right-wing Radicalism Then and Now. An Approach at the ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage. An Excursion Report by Manuel Büchner and Leonie Güneri. Right-wing radical tendencies and anti-democratic positions are no longer merely a marginal phenomenon; they manifest themselves in societal debates, online, and in various everyday situations. For this reason, it is particularly important to actively engage with the causes, mechanisms, and effects of right-wing radicalism, as well as with possibilities for civil society participation. With this motivation, a preliminary meeting for the planned excursion to Hannover took place on July 18th. Under the guidance of Imke Selle and Jessica Wehner, we collectively addressed central questions surrounding the thematic field of right-wing radicalism: What do we understand by it, how do we encounter right-wing attitudes in everyday life, and what responsibility do we ourselves bear? The role of personal spheres of action and civil society engagement was particularly central to our considerations – a theme that would accompany us throughout the further course of the excursion. On the morning of July 31st, we met at Osnabrück Central Station and traveled together by train to Hannover to visit the ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage. Already during the journey, a lively exchange arose about our expectations, our prior knowledge, and personal points of contact with the topic. On-site, an interactive and varied workshop awaited us, which illuminated history, symbols, and contemporary manifestations of right-wing radicalism through practical examples and group tasks. After arriving at the ZeitZentrum, we were greeted by two educational staff members of the ZeitZentrum, who guided us through the day. As an introduction, we positioned ourselves on various theses, such as “I frequently encounter right-wing radicalism in everyday life.” Already here it became apparent how different our personal experiences with it are and how relevant the topic is even in our immediate environment. The students during the introduction at the ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage (Photo: Jessica Wehner). The central element of our visit was participation in the workshop “My World?”: The Story of Bex. This workshop includes a so-called “interactive youth room,” which is also referred to as a “puzzle room.” It is constructed like an escape room. The participants must solve puzzles in order to comprehend the story of the young person Bex, who lives in this room and drifts into the right-wing scene. The designation ‘Escape Room’ is deliberately avoided in order to do justice to the seriousness of the topic and to prevent possible trivialization. Two graffiti that point to the “interactive youth room” at the ZeitZentrum (Photos: Jessica Wehner (right) and Imke Selle (left)). Together as a group, we attempted to reconstruct the radicalization and deradicalization story of Bex. In the course of the story, Bex engaged with Johann Wilhelm “Rukeli” Trollmann, a successful boxer and Sinto who lost his German middleweight championship title during the Nazi era due to his origins. This encounter becomes a turning point for the young person: It not only confronts him with the consequences of exclusion and racist discrimination, but also causes him to critically reconsider his own actions and develop the desire to exit the right-wing milieu. Through solving puzzles and collecting clues, we ultimately succeeded in collectively comprehending the radicalization and exit of the young person from the right-wing scene. We deliberately leave the exact details and solutions open here in order not to spoil the experience for other groups. Following the “interactive youth room,” we reflected together on which right-wing symbols and codes had caught our attention during the game and how they serve for identification and communication within right-wing groups. Additionally, we discussed the emotional impact of these scenarios and spoke about mechanisms such as group pressure, role models, and the role of loneliness and exclusion in the radicalization process. A second focus of the visit was the historical work at the ZeitZentrum. We engaged with the biographies of three selected persons: Wanda Pranden, Johann Wilhelm “Rukeli” Trollmann, who was already known from the puzzle room, and Egon Kuhn. Based on exhibition information, we were to develop brief biographies and select three objects that symbolize central aspects of the respective life paths. The subsequent presentations clarified the different victim and perpetrator biographies and showed how multifaceted the history of exclusion, adaptation, courage, and resistance is. After each group phase, there was the opportunity to ask questions and contribute remarks or to describe particularities from one’s own small group work. Various observations, open questions, and individual impressions were shared. Around 3:30 PM, the official part of the excursion ended with a brief follow-up discussion of the workshop between the participants and the accompanying lecturers. In this context, both strengths and challenges of the didactic concept at the ZeitZentrum were reflected upon. It became apparent that the majority of participants found the interactive approach at the ZeitZentrum particularly successful. The excursion to the ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage successfully combined interactive methods, historical contextualization, and personal reflection. The interplay of the puzzle room, biographical work, and critical exchange particularly enabled us not only to recognize methods and signals of right-wing radicalism, but also to concretely question our own attitudes and possibilities for showing civil courage. Those interested can find an insight into Team NGHM’s last excursion to the ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage here:
This article is an English translation of the original German post: Hin und wieder zurück | Exkursion ins ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage Hannover