Project History

Germany

Aleida and Jan Assmann

2017 Balzan Prize for Collective Memory

For their shared, inter- and transdisciplinary elaboration of the concept of “cultural memory” and its defining clarifications as a paradigm in the field of cultural studies, as well as in public debates; for a decades-long exchange about very different historical realities and models, which in a truly extraordinary way proved to be complementary; for the work carried out independently, of far-reaching impact, which presents collective memory as a requirement for the formation of the identity of religious and political communities.

Extract from The Balzan Prizewinners’ Research Projects: An Overview 2018