Contested Memories: The Political Effects of De-Commemoration Proposals

Memory policies that seek to de-commemorate majority group figures often spark controversy. Existing studies attest to varied effects of policy implementation, but ignore that effects can unfold across the entire policy cycle. We argue that de-commemoration proposals can---even before their adoption---evoke collective guilt over historical injustices and mobilize support for reparative policies, particularly among ideologically predisposed groups. To test this, we study a controversial and widely discussed street-renaming proposal in Berlin targeting antisemitic figures. We field a survey experiment in Berlin to show that the proposal induces an emotional response and increased policy support among left-leaning individuals. This is corroborated by a difference-in-differences analysis of highly granular election data. In electoral districts with streets proposed for renaming, we identify a drop in the vote share of right-wing parties and an improved performance of their left counterparts. By highlighting the pre-adoption effects of memory policies and the underlying mechanisms, this study contributes to the growing literature on symbolic politics, challenging assumptions about the inevitability of backlash and uncovering the role of emotions in shaping public responses to inclusive memory.