Making Space for Youth Culture History: Berlin's Archiv der Jugendkulturen

Abstract

Berlin’s Archiv der Jugendkulturen (Archive of Youth Cultures) was opened in 1998 to provide scholars, journalists, students, and other interested parties with a dedicated space to research youth culture topics. Founder and journalist Klaus Farin, frustrated with the often negative depictions of young people in the mainstream media, hoped the archive’s materials would act as a corrective to such stereotypes. However, the archive has come to mean much more. This article argues that this unique space not only provides invaluable and rare resources but is both a symbolic and physical manifestation of Germany’s youth culture history. As such, it is an innovative site for the nation’s social memory. Since the archive is located in Kreuzberg, the city’s historic heart of bohemian culture, special attention is paid to Berlin’s long-standing reputation as an “alternative city” popular with young people interested in underground culture. Furthermore, this essay stresses the importance of this history- and memory-oriented space in connection with a recent “historic turn” in youth studies.