21. & 22. September 2022 |  University of Bonn

The workshop "Digitalization of Memory in China" examined the influences of digitalization on memory practices in China. A group of international scholars explored multiple aspects of this topic from interdisciplinary perspectives.

The relationship between memory and power has changed since multiple actors can interact in the digital space. This has massive implications for China, where digitalization is advancing particularly fast. Digital tools challenge the aspect of power over memory because they allow parallel narratives. The value of memory is to remember the past and consider the implications for the present and future. That this is especially true for political actors was demonstrated by Chinese government spokesperson Hua Chunying in 2020 during a press conference. She emphasized that "[t]he history of the struggle against the pandemic should not be tainted by lies and misleading information; it should be recorded with the correct collective memory of all mankind".

Digitization of memories enables new spaces and ways of memory communication. In addition to state actors, marginalized groups also use these possibilities. Members of national minorities, the queer community, and individuals use digital tools to secure and disseminate their stories. This leads to a fragmentation of memories, which can also question state-curated memories.