Attitudes towards colonial history and postcolonialism in Germany: Empirical findings

Abstract

How much do people in Germany know about the colonial era, and how do they perceive contemporary historical culture that addresses this period? Do they consider such engagement relevant? Do they recognise connections between the colonial past and the present? And how, if at all, do they relate the colonial era to other historical events and developments? These questions are central to the project Colonial History, Historical Culture, and Historical-Political Education in North Rhine-Westphalia (Kolonialgeschichte, Geschichtskultur und historisch-politische Bildung in Nordrhein-Westfalen). This working paper outlines the project’s structure, research questions, and methodology. In addition, it presents initial findings from one of its core studies, conducted in collaboration with the polling institute forsa. To date, this study constitutes the first nationally representative large-scale survey on this topic in Germany. Reflecting the character of a working report, the paper also discusses methodological challenges encountered during data collection and preliminary analysis.