Denial in the Age of Apology: Some Reflections on Recent Trends in Historical Denialism

Abstract:Since roughly the last decennium of the previous millennium the phenomenon of historical denialism has undergone some remarkable evolutions in terms of the actors that are involved, the political contexts in which it manifests itself and the types and techniques of denial that prevail. None of these aspects is entirely new in itself, but when considered together the dynamics of historical denialism are profoundly changing, becoming increasingly complex and involving ever higher political stakes. Gaining a proper understanding of this evolving situation is of key importance to know how best to react to it.The article focusses on three key aspects of recent forms of historical denialism and extreme revisions. First, historical denialism is becoming increasingly diffuse both in a geographical sense as well as in the sense that is increasingly a work of collective authorship that is strongly influenced by transnational migration patterns and the rise of new global media. A second feature of recent historical denialism is that it is increasingly a state-sponsored phenomenon that often leads to strong diplomatic tensions between states and has become a core part of geo-political strategies. Thirdly we will reflect on historical denialism's ambiguous relation to the international rise of the 'dealing with the past' agenda or the so-called liberal memory project.