An Inconvenient Past: Memory of State Crimes in Russia and Other Countries (Neudobnoye Proshloye)

It's no coincidence that the memory of crimes committed not by external forces, but by one's own state, is commonly referred to as a 'difficult past.' Acknowledging one's own responsibility without shifting it to external or internal enemies, time and circumstances is incredibly difficult psychologically, politically, and legally. Only at first glance does it seem that there are many examples of such voluntary rethinking, while Russia is the only country of its kind that cannot cope with its past. In fact, argues memorial culture researcher N. Epple, when it comes to the immediate successors of criminals and living political reality, such precedents still do not exist. Even the textbook example of Germany, in his opinion, cannot be considered an unqualified success. The book is devoted to comparing domestic processing of the past with the experience of other countries - Germany, Spain, Argentina, Poland, South Africa, Japan - in order to outline general principles for such work to successfully overcome collective trauma and achieve civil peace in Russia.