Gegenfestschriften zu westdeutschen Universitätsjubiläen der 1960er bis 1990er Jahre als alternative Erinnerungsangebote zwischen Protest und wissenschaftlichem Anspruch

Abstract

: The article offers an analysis and discussion of 15 so-called counter- or alternative jubilee publications (Gegenfestschriften) which were published between 1968 and 1995 on the occasion of West German university anniversaries. Three phases can be distinguished for this publication practice: Gegenfestschriften from between 1968 and 1973 were characterized by left-wing criticism. The second phase, from 1977 to 1987, saw an academization of the authors while the focus of the content shifted on National Socialism.The third phase, beginning in 1988, saw a return to student authorship. Gegenfestschriften brought pre-viously suppressed and deliberately concealed topics to light. They can therefore be interpreted as an expression of an alternative commemorative culture which sits between protest and academic claims. This special type of text offers a hith-erto hardly tapped and considerable potential for future research into German student history after 1970, as it can be used to trace student interests and their problem perception as well as the historical consciousness of the authors. Fur-thermore, this alternative jubilee media also offer a source for identifying intra-group conflicts among students.