East Asia is one of the world’s crisis-shaken regions. Tensions resulting from the historic development of the region in the 20th century still impact negatively on the relationship between East Asian states and are obstructing stable development in the region.

Against this backdrop, Germany’s experiences in coming to terms with its Third Reich past and reconciling with its neighbours could be a valuable contribution to the cultural and political debate in East Asia.

In East Asia Germany is often quoted as a generally successful example of how a country has dealt with its past - a process referred to in German as “Vergangenheitsbewältigung”. However, frequently there is a lack of concrete information on the approaches it took and which institutions and actors were involved.

The series Paths to Reconciliation focuses on Germany’s experiences in reconciling with its neighbours and looks at how culture can serve as a platform to communicate Germany’s contributions to the “Vergangenheitsbewältigung”debate in East Asia.