ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the conflicting commemoration practices surrounding far-right and racially motivated violence in Germany, with a focus on the attacks in Rostock and Solingen in the 1990s and their remembrance. The analysis of the commemorative practices in both cities reveals the challenges and negotiations around the remembrance of racist violence, where different actors engage in shaping public memory. Through participant observations conducted during commemorative events and expert interviews, this chapter illustrates how civil and state-driven commemorative practices—such as public gatherings, memorials, and street namings—reflect conflicting narratives and identities. It argues that the conflicting ideas surrounding these practices lead to spatial conflicts as memorial sites become contested spaces embodying unresolved societal tensions. Focusing on the cases of Rostock and Solingen, this chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of spatial conflicts and their dynamics, encompassing not only physical environments but also symbolic battles over memory, identity, and power.
