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'$$'!3*2 '1.*71 HolocaustRepresentationsin HistoryMuseumsinHungary,Austria andItalyafter1990 by BirgaUlrikeMeyer MagistraArtium, UniversitätBremen,2006 Athesissubmittedinpartialfulfilmentof therequirementsforthedegreeof DOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY in TheFacultyofGraduateandPostdoctoralStudies (History) TheUniversityofBritishColumbia (Vancouver) April2014 ©BirgaUlrikeMeyer2014 Abstract &'1 123"7 ,*71#1 &-5 &'12-07 +31#3+1 ', 3120'Q 3,%07 ," 2*7Q 0#.0#V 1#,2 2&# -*-!312T '2& !*-1# 0#$#0#,!# 2- "# 2#1 -32 30-.#, -*-!312 !-+V +#+-02'-,Q '2 ""0#11#1 &-5 2# #6&' '2'-,1 ', !-3,20'#1 !*-1#*7 0#*2#" 2- "#0+,7 "30',% 2&# -*-!312 !-,1203!2 2&# .12 1 , - (#!2 -$ ),-5*#"%# .-5#0T 2 *1- #6+V ',#1 &-5 2&# !-,!#.23*'12'-, -$ &'12-0'!* %#,!7 11'%,1 +#,',% ," !0#2#1 1.#!'$'! 13 (#!2 .-1'2'-,1 $-0 2&# 4'1'2-0T '7 0#1#0!& ',!*3"#1 TS "'$$#0#,2 .#0+,#,2 #6&' '2'-,1Q #12 *'1&#" $2#0 S[Z[ S[[RQ $0-+ 5&'!& $-30Q "##+#" 0#.0#1#,22'4#Q $-0+ +7 !1# 123"'#1T , 3120' !&-1# 2&# ZeitgeschichteMuseum ', #,1##Q ', 3,%07 2&# 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Preface.....................................................................................................................................................................iii Tableofcontents...................................................................................................................................................iv Listofphotographs...........................................................................................................................................viii Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................................xii 1 Settingthestage:.................................................................................1 theHolocaustinEuropeanmuseums.........................................1 1.1 Samequestions–differentanswers:HolocaustrepresentationsinEurope...........1 1.1.1 DoesEuropesharethesamepast?ScholarshiponEuropeanHolocaust representations...........................................................................................8 1.1.2 WhatarethecommoneffectsoftheHolocaust?Nationalnarratives throughaEuropeanlens...........................................................................13 1.2 Searchingfortheory:howtoanalysemuseumrepresentations...........................19 1.2.1 Specialfeaturesofmuseumrepresentations...........................................19 1.2.2 Themuseumspeaks:narrativetheoryandmuseumdiscourse.Thefirst, secondandthirdpersoninthemuseum..................................................23 1.2.3 Memoryversusrepresentation.................................................................28 2 Documentinghistory:....................................................................35 HolocaustrepresentationsinAustria......................................35 2.1 Theselfreflectivenation:Austriaanditsacclaimedsuccessfulreconciliation withHolocausthistory............................................................................................35 2.1.1 Comingtotermswiththepast:theimpactoftheHolocaustinAustria..36 2.1.2 DominantdiscourseinAustriatoday........................................................46 2.1.3 Holocaustcommemorations:aneutralanddistancedmuseum presentation..............................................................................................50 2.2 TheZeitgeschichteMuseumEbensee:anacademicdisplayanditsapparently neutralrepresentation...........................................................................................58 2.2.1 The“neutral”museumsitedocumentinghistory.....................................63 2.2.2 Tracesondisplay.......................................................................................67 iv 2.3 Thecourseofhistory:structuralhistoryversusregionalagency...........................70 2.3.1 Writingdepersonalisedstories..................................................................70 2.3.2 Objectscounteringdepersonalisation......................................................74 2.4 Theabsentvictim:hollowvictimfiguresandplaceholdersforpeople..................78 2.4.1 Themissingrepresentationofthevictims................................................78 2.4.2 Sitesinsteadofpeople..............................................................................86 2.4.3 Clothesinsteadofpeople..........................................................................91 2.5 Individualhistoricalagents:menandwomenfromtheresistance.....................101 2.5.1 Individualhistoricalagents......................................................................101 2.5.2 TheheroSeppPlieseis.............................................................................107 2.5.3 ResiPesendorferandthewomenresistancefighters............................110 2.6 Conclusion.............................................................................................................118 3 Recreatingtragedy:......................................................................123 HolocaustrepresentationinHungary...................................123 3.1 Famouslyinfamous:ignoranceaboutandmarginalrecognitionofthe HolocaustinHungary............................................................................................123 3.1.1 Comingtotermswiththepast:theimpactoftheHolocaust inHungary...............................................................................................124 3.1.2 DominantelementswithinthepostwardiscourseontheHolocaust...132 3.1.3 Holocaustcommemorations,museumspectacles.................................136 3.2 TheHolokausztEmlékközpont:aseeminglyseamlessstory................................145 3.2.1 Openingandclosingthenarrative–thetragedyoftheHolocaust– exhibitdevicesinanutshell....................................................................149 2.2.1. Framingtragedy......................................................................................152 3.3 Theuniversalvictim:HungarianJewsasdefencelessandpassivevictims..........157 3.3.1 Creatingahomogenousgroup................................................................157 3.3.2 ObjectifyingJewsandlimitingagency.....................................................162 3.3.3 Theuniversalvictimastheclimaxofthedisplay....................................167 3.4 Incompletevictimrepresentations:recreatingstereotypesandmarginalising Roma.....................................................................................................................181 3.4.1 TheRomaasavaguebutcombinedgroup.............................................181 v 3.4.2 OtheringRoma........................................................................................185 3.4.3 MarginalisingRomawithintheexhibitionspace....................................192 3.5 Powerfulperpetrators:Hungariansasnegativehistoricalagents.......................195 3.5.1 Removedstateactorsinacceptablepostureandpresentation.............195 3.5.2 Identifyingcriminalsinportraitpictures.................................................200 3.5.3 Ofthugs,villainsandimproperbehaviour..............................................209 3.5.4 Deathsentencescloseopenquestions...................................................214 3.6 Conclusion.............................................................................................................216 4 Presentingagency:........................................................................221 HolocaustrepresentationsinItaly.........................................221 4.1 Thepastinthepresent:theHolocaustinItalybetweenexternalisationand