Institutionalizing collective memories of hate : Law and law enforcement in Germany and the United States

The institutionalization of distinct collective memories of hate & cultural traumas as law & bureaucracy is examined comparatively for the case of hate crime law. A dehistoricized focus on individual victimization & an avoidance of major episodes of domestic atrocities in the United States contrast with a focus on the Holocaust, typically in the context of the destruction of the democratic state, in Germany. Such differences, in combination with specifics of state organization & exposure to global scripts, help explain particularities of law & law enforcement along dimensions such as internationalization, coupling of minority & democracy protection, focus on individual versus group rights, & specialization of control agencies. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.