2010 Paul Hanly Furfey Lecture * Sacred Space and Collective Memory: Memorializing Genocide at Sites of Terror

This lecture explores how memorial sites, particularly those at former locations of terror, serve as sacred spaces for collective memory and mourning. It highlights the universal human experience of genocide, examining the ways these sites encode suffering and atrocity while functioning as warnings to future generations. Drawing on fieldwork from Ravensbrück in Germany and Nyamata and Ntarama in Rwanda, the study analyzes the politics of memorial culture and the social construction of memory across different cultures and geographies. The research underscores the significance of public spaces in national memory, particularly in the context of mass trauma and the commemoration of crimes against humanity.

Jacobs, J. (2011). 2010 Paul Hanly Furfey Lecture * Sacred Space and Collective Memory: Memorializing Genocide at Sites of Terror. Sociology of Religion, 72(2), 154–165. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/srr023