Lessons and Legacies XV - The Holocaust; Global Perspectives, National Narratives, Local Contexts

The contributions to this volume not only indicate the intellectual vibrancy and diversity of cutting-edge research in Holocaust studies but also reflect multiple approaches to the necessary work of expanding the canon of research in the field and of adopting varied disciplinary perspectives, engaging with global perspectives as well as local studies. This collection’s chapters manifest three broad categories: history, literature, and memory; at the same time, however, as the interdisciplinary nature of these chapters indicate, these categories should not be regarded as mutually exclusive or discrete. On the contrary, they overlap and intersect in compelling ways, demonstrating the dynamic character of contemporary Holocaust studies, which views history, narrative representation, and commemoration as mutually informative. Further, the contributors continue the recent trend in Holocaust studies whereby specific regional and national narratives are integrated into a more global approach to the event: Newer studies have continued to incorporate what was once termed the periphery into a more global examination of the experiences of Jewish refugees in flight to Latin America, Africa, and the Soviet Union. At the same time, very specific local studies deepen our knowledge of the mechanics of genocide, along with the experiences of refugees in flight, and the subsequent dimensions of Holocaust memory and representation.Table of ContentIntroduction, Erin McGlothlin and Avinoam Patt I. Wartime History Natalie Eppelsheimer, "Some Had a Farm in Africa: Holocaust Survivors as Settler-Colonists in Kenya” Daniela Gleizer, “Refugees from Nazism and Holocaust Survivors in Mexico: Closed Doors and Contested Memories” Elysa I. McConnell, “ Building the Nation at the Periphery: Fascism, Italianization, and Racial Persecution in Italy’s Eastern Borderlands” Jason Tingler, “A Vortex of Violence: Chełm at the Crossroads of Genocide and Mass Murder” Idit Gil, “ Ethics and Friendship in KZ Hessental: Josek Giser’s Diary and His Survival Efforts” II. Literature and Testimony from the Postwar to the Contemporary Ariane Santerre, “Transgressive Testimonies: French Survivors’ Early Writings on the Holocaust” Naya Lekht, “Literary Monuments: Commemorating the Holocaust in the Soviet Union” Jonathan Druker, “Monstrous Births and Mad Scientists: Allegories of Holocaust Trauma in Primo Levi’s Natural Histories” Joanna Krongold, “‘Too Much Precedent’: Holocaust Allegory in Suzanne Collins’s Underland Chronicles” III. Museums and Memorials Anja Ballis, “Tour Guide Meets Tourist: Local and Global Perspectives of Guided Tours at European Concentration Camp Memorial Sites” Sarah Kleinmann, “ The Museum Representation of National Socialist Perpetrators in Germany and Austria” Laurie A. Stein, “The State of Provenance Research in Museums: Evaluating Global and National Approaches and Responses” Anna Duensing, “We Should Have Had a Nuremberg after the Civil War”: Understanding Nazism at the Frontlines of the Battle Over Confederate Monuments Dan Leopard and Noah Shenker, "Pinchas-DiT: Simulation and the Imagined Future of Holocaust Survivor Memory” Notes on ContributorsReview Quote“Encompassing global geographies of the Holocaust, this volume is rich in new research and conversant with some of the most current directions in Holocaust studies.” —Dorota Glowacka, University of King's College, Canada"This unique volume makes an important and timely contribution to the field of Holocaust Studies by bringing together a collection of essays that crosses geographies, disciplines, and approaches to Holocaust representation. The carefully selected chapters, in conversation with each other, broaden our awareness of and appreciation for the expansive possibilities for Holocaust research. Reading this volume enriches our understanding of Holocaust history and memory." -Victoria Aarons, Trinity University Biographical NoteErin McGlothlin is a professor of German and Jewish studies at Washington University in St. Louis.Avinoam Patt is the Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies and director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut.