Mission statement of the Max Mannheimer Study Centre
In view of the historical significance and the human and moral dimension of the injustice committed, it is a continuing obligation, especially towards future generations, to present and convey the historical events truthfully, to keep the memory of the suffering of the victims alive, but also to make it clear to what extent the experiences of the Nazi era have become decisive for our present state and social order and what responsibility arises from this for shaping a humane future.
(From the foundation statutes of 14 November 1991)
I come as a witness of that time, not as a judge or accuser. I explain to the pupils that they are not responsible for what happened, but they are responsible for ensuring that it does not happen again. I hope that through my contribution, young people will remain sensitive to all developments that jeopardise democracy and human rights.
(Max Mannheimer, 1920 -2016)
The Max Mannheimer Study Centre is an extracurricular institution for historical and political education located in the immediate vicinity of the former Dachau concentration camp. It is named after Holocaust survivor Max Mannheimer and is committed to his legacy of remembering the suffering of the victims of Nazi terror and his message of understanding and tolerance.
Critical examination and reference to the origins and history of National Socialism, as well as its aftermath and impact up to the present day, are central components of all the educational programmes offered by the centre. These are divided into three formats:
- One-day and multi-day study programmes for young people and multipliers
- Trans- and international study programmes, youth exchanges and projects
- Specialist educational and scientific events and publications
The Max Mannheimer Study Centre is located as an educational institution in today’s Dachau as a place of learning and remembrance and is involved in local and regional initiatives as well as in national and international expert groups on memorial site education and the culture of remembrance.
By whom for whom
The educational programmes offered by the Max Mannheimer Study Centre are aimed at young people and young adults aged 14 and above from schools and youth work, as well as multipliers in education and remembrance work.
All educational staff at the Max Mannheimer Study Centre continuously communicate with each other about a common educational approach, content objectives and methodological procedures. This communication process reflects current socio-political events as well as the interests and demands of programme participants and the changing conditions of historical-political teaching and learning.
With regard to educational activities, educators agree on the importance of defining current forms of racism, anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and other misanthropic structures and attitudes, and taking a critical stance on them.
The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is an international place of remembrance where diverse cultural, historical and political narratives manifest themselves. International projects and youth encounters are firmly rooted in the founding idea of the Max Mannheimer Study Centre. They enable participants to understand that history and remembrance of National Socialism and the Second World War encompass different historical experiences and interpretations that continue to influence current (conflict) history in Europe and worldwide.
Developing individual judgement in relation to historical and political issues is an important contribution to social learning for programme participants and promotes an understanding of democratic values and social participation.
Contents and goals
The core and starting point of historical and political learning at the Max Mannheimer Study Centre is the history of events and effects of the Dachau concentration camp as an instrument of terror in the context of Nazi persecution and extermination policies.
Remembering the people who were imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp, their suffering, their self-assertion and resistance is an essential part of the educational work. Individual biographies make the realities of exclusion, persecution and imprisonment visible. Engaging with the victims as self-determined actors promotes empathy and understanding.
The perpetrators and their judicial punishment are part of the history of the place. The way this history has been dealt with since 1945 reflects the controversial social debates surrounding Nazi crimes as well as the experiences of social discrimination and marginalisation of groups of former victims of persecution.
In the participatory educational process, participants develop an individual interest in history based on their own life experiences. A historically informed critical perspective supports the analysis and evaluation of current socio-political events.
The Max Mannheimer Study Centre closely links content-related teaching goals with the applied didactic methods in a group-dynamic learning process. The aim of all courses is to enable participants to better understand and reflect on themselves and their own influences through new perspectives, as well as to appropriately assess different and even contradictory perceptions and narratives and develop their own attitudes towards them.
Methodological principles
Das Max Mannheimer Studienzentrum schafft als außerschulische Bildungseinrichtung eine Lernumgebung, in der die Teilnehmenden frei von Leistungskriterien mit den pädagogischen Fachkräften zusammenarbeiten. Es entstehen offene Kommunikationsräume, in denen mittels vielfältiger Methoden und Materialien die Fähigkeit zur Entwicklung eigener Fragen an die Geschichte vermittelt wird.
Kleine Arbeitsgruppen eröffnen Lern- und Gesprächshorizonte für den konstruktiven Austausch und die Diskussion. Diversität in der Gruppe ist eine positive und produktive Selbstverständlichkeit. Die Teilnehmerden können in allen Programmen ihre persönlichen Interessen einbringen.
Das ausführliche Kennenlernen und selbständige Entdecken der KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau ist ein zentrales Element der Programmgestaltung. Dazu werden Methoden des forschenden Lernens angewandt. Multiperspektivische Zugänge zum historischen und zum gegenwärtigen Ort, die Zeugnisse von Opfern und Überlebenden sowie Quellen zu den historischen Orten unterstützen die Teilnehmenden dabei, zu eigenen Deutungen der Vergangenheit zu gelangen und Bezüge zur Gegenwart herzustellen.
Für die pädagogische Arbeit des Max Mannheimer Studienzentrums ist die Bildung des Individuums in einem Raum ständiger Interaktion und Partizipation besonders wichtig. Die Intensität der Bildungsprogramme kann langfristige Lernprozesse anstoßen. Dadurch entstehen Fragestellungen, die über den Ortsbezug und die historische Dimension hinaus bis in die Gegenwart reichen. Das Max Mannheimer Studienzentrum ist dabei stets offen für neue Methoden und Konzepte, arbeitet innovativ und experimentell.
Dachau, Herbst 2016
