Historical events and our knowledge of them mould our understanding of today's world. The interdisciplinary authorship of this volume focuses on the connection between past and future. The approaches and themes extend from biographical experiences via intergenerational exchange to the discussion of current social phenomena. To what extent does (lack of) knowledge of the past influence our view of the present and our narratives of the future? Authors from the realms of history, art, philosophy, journalism, poetry, gender studies and urban studies investigate complex everyday reality in history and the present and direct their attention towards the shifts in political hegemonies which lead to ostracism, denigration, and destruction. They have explicitly chosen an international perspective which shows that polarization and radicalization are universal social manifestations in a global linked world. With essays by Max Czollek, Clémentine Deliss, Simon Denny, Georg Diez, Brenda Draney, Liam Gillick, Marina Grzinic, Andreas Huyssen, Ismail Küpeli, Dieter Lesaeg, Catrin Lorch, Sven Lütticken, Karamia Müller, Vanessa Joan Müller, Andrea Petö, Monika Rinck, Dirk Rupnow, Piotr Rypson, Philippe Sands, Nicolaus Schafhausen, Dorothea Schöne, Géraldine Schwarz, Nora Sternfeld, Niko Wahl, and Mirjam Zadoff. Book jacket.