CPPD | Podcastepisode 44 “ERINNERUNGSFUTUR” Paneldiscussion “Speechless in Nứớc Đức – Intergenerational Memory between Discontinuity and Connection”

This podcast episode is a recording of the panel discussion “Speechless in Nứớc Đức – Intergenerational Memory between Discontinuity and Connection” with Nhi Le, Dan Thy Nguyen und Vu Thanh Van, moderated by Vũ Vân Phạm, which took place on 20 September 2025 as part of the CPPD festival ‘MEMORY MATTERS’ at the Peter Weiss Haus in Rostock.

A mother remains silent about her escape across the sea. Only as an adult does her son learn about the months in camps, the fear, the hunger. Another family talks about their first years in the GDR, but conceals the racism and humiliation they experienced after reunification. Still others talk about everything – until their children eventually stop listening.

What do parents pass on to their children about their past? And what remains unsaid? These questions occupy researchers from many disciplines. Because it is not only care that is passed on between generations, but also pain: experiences of war, unspoken traumas, feelings of shame, the fear of rejection. But intergenerational memory does not only affect immigrant families. In many places in Germany itself, it is still in its infancy: in the retelling and silence about the Shoah, the Second World War, the experiences of two hostile political systems – the GDR and the FRG.
Our panel in Rostock asks: How is intergenerational memory shaped? What is shared, what is concealed – and why?

>> Listen to the Episode here

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In ERINNERUNGSFUTUR, scholars, artists, intellectuals, and activists share their work and perspectives on cultures of remembrance in Germany and Europe. This series is part of the DialoguePerspectives e.V. podcast.

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Speakers: Nhi Le, Dan Thy Nguyen, Vu Thanh Van, Vu Van Pham; Editorial team: Hannah Blumas, Angela Mani, Nihal Çalışır; Audio-Edit: Gal Yaron Mayersohn; Film Glitch by Snowflake ©2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial (3.0) license; Illustration: Rosa Viktoria Ahlers; Kurator*innen: Jo Frank, Johanna Korneli, Max Czollek | © 2025 DialoguePerspectives e.V. | http://www.cppdnetwork.com