Forgetting and the Demise of Democracy with Jill Salberg

This week, Aneta and Isaac speak with Dr. Jill Salberg about the relationship between memory and fascism in American history. Dr. Salberg connects the memory loss caused by trauma in an individual with the political amnesia that allows fascism to occur (and recur) in a nation. Unpacking the dangerous complicity of passivity, Dr. Salberg shows us how creating and maintaining memory is active work and a political duty.

Jill Salberg's essay is timely, and in conversation with many other voices we’ve published. She calls awareness to the political amnesia we are all susceptible to and centers the act of witnessing as critical to analytic action. Talking with her on this episode, we learned more about her motivations for taking on this dangerous forgetfulness and how it intersects with her writing and work.