Tid for anerkjennelse: Andre verdenskrig 75 år etter frigjøringen1

In this article, the author argues that the need for recognition is a defining feature of the ways WW2 is commemorated and represented today, both in terms of professional history and popular narratives. WW2 as a source of recognition for groups and individuals is described as a process with three constitutive elements: diversity of narratives, a “moral turn”, and the personal acquisition of history. While representations of Norway and WW2 previously fit into an ideal-typical form based on how different stories related to the established – or later expanded and nuanced – basic narrative, the memory culture has turned and gained a more horizontally arranged structure from the 2000s. The characteristic of the 2020 anniversary seems to be a battle for attention and recognition. This is described as an agonistic memory culture. Also, WW2 as a source of recognition means that sensitive dimensions are activated. This has led to a change regarding the role of historians in society. Historians and other professional history-workers must not only master “real history”, but they must also be able to handle and contribute to meaningful processing of conflicts related to how the past is being understood, articulated, and negotiated.