A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - November 13, 2015: Crime and Memory (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Where were we on November 13, 2015? They were strolling through Paris 
near Place de la Nation, in front of the Comptoir Voltaire; they were 
having lunch with friends at Le Carillon, Le Petit Cambodge on Rue 
Alibert, La Bonne Bière on Rue du Faubourg du Temple, or Casa Nostra on 
Rue de la Fontaine au Roi; they were heading to the Bataclan for a 
concert, near Rue Amelot. They were killed or seriously injured, their 
psychological scars lasting forever from the horror they witnessed. 130 
dead, hundreds wounded around Place de la République. The very next day, 
thousands of flowers, moving messages, objects, children's drawings, and 
candles were placed at the site of the massacre during gatherings. Sarah 
Gensburger and Gérôme Truc, both researchers at the CNRS (French 
National Centre for Scientific Research), recognized the importance of 
compiling photographs, analyses, and testimonies of this ritual of 
mourning and these ephemeral memorials into a single book, *The 
Memorials of November 13th*. Ten years later, the book has been 
republished by the EHESS (School for Advanced Studies in the Social 
Sciences).

The cover features the front of the Carillon, a sidewalk covered in 
flowers. "This book contributes to this broader movement by providing a 
monographic perspective on the ephemeral memorials that sprang up in 
Paris[...]. The result of an unprecedented collaboration between 
researchers and archivists,[...]it is the first to offer a truly 
comprehensive approach, from the street where they take shape to the 
museum," particularly the Archives of Paris, on Boulevard Sérurier in 
the 19th arrondissement. While the researcher's perspective may appear 
detached and distant, this is also part of their mission, striving for 
objectivity as much as possible. Many volunteers offered their help to 
support the emergency services, which ultimately withdrew in the face of 
the profound horror. A research project is now underway.

The Preservation of These Memorials

Six chapters structure the book's analysis. The first two chapters 
examine the memorials themselves, then explore the social practices 
surrounding them. The following two chapters describe the archiving 
process, drawing on the testimony of Guillaume Nahon, director of the 
Paris archives, and a comparison with the Madrid bombings. The shock 
felt by the Parisian population, and beyond, is reflected in books of 
condolence and the evolution of these memorials from temporary to 
permanent. The final chapter addresses the question of preserving these 
memorials as heritage.

Culture Against Weapons!

The intensity of the event is conveyed through the particularly rich 
iconography of these pages: the gaze, the smile-these women, these men 
are dead. The words written on the walls, the papers, must be preserved. 
The City of Paris's sanitation workers performed a physically demanding 
task, always respectful of objects and messages. Sociologists are 
focused on analyzing the meaning of the message received by the 
population: was it an attack against Paris or France, the "We" of the 
neighborhood? And in response: Culture against weapons! Beyond the days 
that followed, how to preserve the memory? How to mark the event? A 
plaque, a statue, a tree? How to make sense of it? How to ensure a 
collective memory? This book contributes to this understanding through 
its immense emotional impact.

* Sarah Gensburger and Gérôme Truc (eds.)
The Memorials of November 13th
Ed. EHESS, 2020 (reissued 2025)

https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8685
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