Every society must cope with traumatic pasts. The many ways in which societies cope with the past(s) form part of the ''politics of the past'': history is thus continuously reformulated ex post facto and presented as a seemingly coherent narrative related to specific (hegemonic) interests.

Ruth Wodak is Distinguished Professor of Discourse Studies at Lancaster University since 2004 (and affiliated to the University of Vienna). Gertraud Auer Borea d''Olmo, Secretary General of the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, Vienna.