Singularisation or Universalisation ? Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer on "Education after Auschwitz"

Theodor W. Adorno's radio lecture on 'Education afterAuschwitz' was not only met with a great response in educational science; for a long time, it was also considered a central contribution of Critical Theory to the debate on the culture of remembrance. In this article, we first explain its reception within German-language educational science and then contrast it with Max Horkheimer's reflections. The latter chose a different approach to Adorno. Instead of focusing on the question of guilt and the singularity of the Holocaust, Horkheimer outlines a historical-political education and advocates understanding the National Socialist atrocities as part of a global history of violence. These contributions, which were mostly published in remote locations, have not yet received the recognition they deserve within German-language educational science. This is unfortunate, because Horkheimer's promotion of historical judgement in the mode of comparison raised many questions that are currently being discussed in the debate on a pluralistic culture of remembrance.