A 33-Year-Old Journalist Challenges How We Remember Nazi Crimes

At just 33, Susanne Siegert has released a book calling for a fresh approach to how society remembers the past. The journalist, who runs the social media account @no.memory.culture, has spent years researching Nazi crimes and questioning traditional forms of remembrance. Her work began with a personal search into her family’s history in southeast Upper Bavaria.

Siegert’s interest in history grew from her own roots. In Landkreis Altötting, where her grandfather had been stationed as a soldier, she uncovered ties to Nazi concentration camp subcamps—many of which remain undocumented and neglected. This discovery pushed her to investigate further, leading to her social media project in 2022, which aims to educate younger audiences about Nazi-era atrocities.

She openly admits she is not a trained historian. Instead, she highlights her early errors and how her understanding of history has changed over time. Siegert argues that remembrance should be active, confronting the role of perpetrators rather than relying on passive rituals. She prefers the term culture of commemoration over culture of remembrance, criticising what she sees as empty, rigid traditions. Her approach draws on the idea of memory theater, a concept by Canadian sociologist Y. Michal Bodemann, to challenge how history is currently presented. Siegert also calls for greater recognition of marginalised victim groups and resistors, who have often been overlooked. To address gaps in documentation, she encourages local initiatives to record and preserve the history of lesser-known Nazi camp sites. Her book expands on these ideas, offering a vision for what she calls rethinking remembrance—one that moves beyond established practices and engages more directly with the past.

Siegert’s work combines personal research with public education, using social media to reach audiences traditional institutions may miss. Her book and advocacy push for a more inclusive and critical approach to history. The goal is not just to remember, but to actively challenge how society confronts its past.