Holocaust Memory and Visuality in the Age of Social Media

Holocaust Memory and Visuality in the Age of Social Media by Meghan Lundrigan, BA (Hons), MA A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2019, Meghan Lundrigan Abstract Everyday people make use of Instagram to visually share their experiences encountering Holocaust memory. Whether individuals are sharing their photos from Auschwitz, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, or of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, this dissertation uncovers the impetus to capture and share these images by the thousands. Using visuality as a framework for analyzing how the Holocaust has been seen, photographed, and communicated historically, this dissertation argues that these individual digital images function as objects of postmemory, contributing to and cultivating an accessible visual and digital archive. Sharing these images on Instagram results in a visual, grassroots archival space where networked Holocaust visuality and memory can flourish. The Holocaust looms large in public memory. Drawing from Holocaust studies, public history, photography theory, and new media studies, this dissertation argues that the amateur Instagram image is far from static. Existing spaces of Holocaust memory create preconditions for everyday publics to share their encounters with the Holocaust on their own terms. Thus, the final networked Instagram image is the product of a series of author interventions, carefully wrought from competing narratives and Holocaust representations. The choice to photograph, edit, post, and hashtag one’s photo forges a public method for collaborating with hegemonic memory institutions. This work brings together seemingly disparate sources to find commonality between Instagram images, museum guestbook entries, online reviews, former concentration camps, and major Holocaust memorials and museums. ii This research, one of the first studies of Holocaust visual culture on Instagram, underscores the fluidity of Holocaust memory in the twenty-first century. While amateur photography at solemn sites has sparked concern, this dissertation demonstrates that though the number of Holocaust survivors become fewer in number, the act of remembering the genocide can be coded into the everyday behaviour of the amateur photographers featured in this work. This work not only shares authority with everyday publics in their efforts to remember and memorialize the Holocaust but reminds us that seemingly small and individual acts of remembrance can coalesce, contributing to a fluid and accessible archive of visual memory. iii Acknowledgements A completed dissertation is the result of the hard work of a great number of people. First, I must thank the Department of History at Carleton University. Arriving to start my MA in Public History in the fall of 2011, I got a taste of something that I will not leave behind: a thoughtful, welcoming environment which treasures and encourages its students from their first day in the department. Most especially, to my supervisor, Dr. Jennifer Evans: thank you for eight years of support and inspiring scholarship. It is no wonder that Jen is so celebrated, both as a scholar and a person. Jen encouraged me to pursue the PhD, supplementing the stressful parts with long walks with her lovely canine family members; she has helped me ask the big questions, hone the unruly ones, and has made me a better historian. The completion of this degree would not have been possible without the generous financial support from many sources: the Ontario Government, the Carleton University Department of History, the Zelikovitz family, and the Royal Holloway Holocaust Research Institute. Spending a week and a half at Royal Holloway with so many Holocaust scholars was an incredible experience and laid the foundation for the questions I wanted to ask in my dissertation. I would like to especially thank Theodor (Zev) Weiss and the Holocaust Education Foundation. Without the support of Zev and the HEF, I would not have been able to conduct a significant part of my research in Israel. Thank you to the wonderful scholars who made the journey through Israel with me: Hilary Earl, Simone Gigliotti, Jaime L. Wraight, Sue Sipple, Rob Franciosi, Babafemi Akinrade, and Marie and Bill Donahue – I learned a lot from all of you. Thank you to Imogen Dalziel and Samantha Mitschke for being wonderful companions and colleagues while at Royal iv Holloway. Caroline Cormier kept me in excellent company while in Berlin, as we pored over our archival materials at the JMB and drank a lot of coffee. Thanks for being my Canadian connection while abroad. Thank you to the archival and museum staff at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Jewish Museum Berlin, and the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Always helpful in locating whatever I needed, and always interested in my slightly strange research topic, interacting with archival and museum staff was the highlight of completing my project. Thank you to Zineb Ayaadi from the Jewish Museum Berlin for agreeing to chat with me about museum social media strategy in the middle of a busy summer. And thank you to Raisa Galofre, for a wonderful conversation about her photography projects. To the social media teams at these institutions: you are doing important, incredible work through social media engagement. I am very grateful for your presence. The Carleton Department of History has allowed me to foster an incredible number of friendships with talented scholars, whom I admire very deeply. There are too many to list here, as spending eight years in the department has allowed me to make more wonderful connections than I had ever imagined I would! Thank you especially to Dr. Jane Freeland, Dr. Erica Fagen, and Dr. Christine Whitehouse, for rooming with me at conferences, telling me where to eat (and drink!) while abroad, and not judging me for how many Starburst I would consume while writing grant applications. Thank you for continuing to be thoughtful editors and sources of inspiration. You are incredible historians, and even more incredible friends. I was lucky to be graced with a wonderful and supportive PhD cohort: Stuart MacKay and Dr. Melissa Armstrong kept me v ambitious and honest while putting together drafts. Thank you for always cheering me on, listening to me complain, and enjoying several alcoholic beverages with me along the way. Thank you to everyone who has offered me their space and time. Anyone who has set foot in the Department of History knows how essential its administrative staff are to the success of the students and faculty. Thank you to Joan White for everything she does for graduate students behind the scenes. Joan has helped me make it through the administrative difficulties that accompany two graduate degrees, and I will never be able to thank her enough. To Kimberly Noble, Dan Westell, and Annabel Westell: thank you for having me at Christmases and Easters and letting me use your home as a writing retreat (while getting to cuddle your three cats and corgi!) I was lucky to have Andrew Sopko and Sarah Dougherty on my side, who broke up the time spent writing with laughter and support in the moments that impostor syndrome crept in. Thank you to Emily MacDonald and Ben Robinson, who kept my busy with board games and beer markets, and to Robin Mullins, who made sure I was always caught up on the best TV. Thanks, as well, are owed to the staff of the Fairmont Bridgehead. They provided me with more coffee (and laughter!) than one woman should rightfully handle. Thank you for letting me hog your electrical outlets to complete large parts of this dissertation. On a personal note, so much appreciation is owed to those closest to me. None of this would be possible without the support of a wonderful family. From an early age, my mom and dad have fostered my curiosity, encouraging me to ask as many questions as possible, and to try and find the answers. They have supported me through three degrees, even while enjoying their retirement occupation as global jet-setters. I have modeled my vi ambitions after the dedication they have demonstrated throughout my lifetime. Thank you to my little sister, Sarah, for listening to me ramble about what I found in the archives, and little Savannah and Reese for lending their aunt (me) cuddles. Thank you to Alex Wilkinson, for watching the Harry Potter movies with me as many times as I wanted, meeting me for pho during long days of writing, and for listening to me talk incessantly about Spider-Man. Lending me your time has been a blessing, in every capacity. Lina Crompton, a powerhouse of a friend, plied me with fancy drinks and fantastic friendship and helped me to stay positive. To Lucy Westell: thank you for more than a decade of friendship, your incredible support, and for sending me photos of dogs. To my partner Kellen: thank you for sharing this experience with me, not moving my books, and leaving all those piles of paper where they are. Thank you for always looking at the images I find on Instagram. Thank you for reading the things I write, listening to the things I say, and making sure I am always heard. My achievements would be for naught if I couldn’t celebrate them with you. Thank you to the amateur photographers at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jewish Museum Berlin, the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum, and any Holocaust memorial covered (or not covered) in this dissertation. Thank you for keeping the memory of the Holocaust present and visible in the age of social media. vii Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ..........................................................................................................

Load more