What are the implications of perceiving, locating and representing history in ‘layers of time’? Reinhart Koselleck’s metaphor of ‘layers of time’ has provided a wealth of inspiration within the field of historical theory for defining the relationship between time, space and history. It has also been repeatedly taken up in historical culture since the 2000s: Archaeology transforms recent contemporary history into an excavation site and locates memories and events in deeper, buried layers; archaeological windows in city centres and memorial sites open up a view of the past; and the preservation of historical monuments brings out layers of time to reveal phases of construction and use. Museums, as well as cities, landscapes and places of remembrance, are understood as pluritemporal structures in which different eras and political regimes can be discerned through various layers of time. The book brings together contributions from different disciplines that engage with the metaphor of layers of time—both historically and critically—in terms of its theoretical dimensions and practical applications.

This book is included in DOAB.