What Can Be Learned About Antisemitism from Holocaust Survivor Testimonies? a Narrative Inquiry Approach
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Article 114 What Can be Learned about Antisemitism from Holocaust Survivor Testimonies? A Narrative Inquiry Approach atalin !s"ter #or$an Independent Researcher eywords& Anti#emiti#m, Je'i#(ne##, Na)i#m, narrative anal+#i#, identit+$model# - ,(ematic narrative anal+#i# of auto-io.ra%(ical material# can #(o' up %o##i-le continuitie# -et'een anti#emiti#m of t(e %a#t and t(e %re#ent. - Narrative anal+#i# connect# -io.ra%(ical detail# to lar.er culture- and &eanin.-ma/in. in#titution#. - ,(e #tud+ of te#timonie# i# #uita-le for identif+in. (o' identit+ model# are con#tructed. - Source# #up%lementar+ to t(e narrative# are needed to find clue# to t(e 0'(+ t(e Je'#12 3ue#tion. 'urpose: ,(e %ur%o#e of t(i# contri-ution i# to anal+#e a #et of 4olocaust #urvivor te#timon+ tran#cri%t# in order to find out t(eir educational value re.ardin. t(e connec$ tion -et'een anti#emiti#& of t(e %a#t and t(e %re#ent. ,(e narrative anal+#e# are used to .enerate 3ue#tion# t(at mi.(t -e relevant for addre##in. certain curricular ai&# 'it(in 5erman Social Science Education. Approach& ,e#timon+ tran#cri%t# of #i6 Je'i#( 4olocaust #urvivor# 'ere recon#tructed usin. %ortraiture tec(ni3ue# 'it( t(e ai& of ca%turin. t(e e##ence of t(e e6%erience of -ein. Je'i#( in a .iven #ocio-cultural conte6t. 7ertain t(e&e# fro& t(e #torie# 'ere %ic/ed out and %ro-ed furt(er 'it( ot(er (i#torical and #c(olarl+ literature #o a# to lend t(em de%t( and .enerali#a-ilit+ to t(eoretical conce%t#. (indin$s& 8it(in t(e conte6t of anti#emiti#m, t(e follo'in. t(eme# are identified and di#cus#ed9 a #en#e of #afet+, love, -elon.in., #olidarit+ and re#i#tance: #et-a%art time#, SSE ;ri#tallnac(t and t(e -urnin. of t(e Boo/ of Boo/#: an e6a&%le of an 0identit+ &odel2 J under ten#ion: Fat(er-Son relation#(i% and continued e6%erience# of anti#emitic Journal of Social Science #tereot+%e#. >ue#tion# are .enerated a-out a#%ect# of cultural and national #elf-ima.e Education t(at could -e relevant in Social Science Education. Vol. 19, No. 3 (2020) DOI 10.4119/"##e-914 %%. 114-131 Corresponding author: ;atalin E#)ter ?or.an, E$&ail9 /atalin&or.an@.&ail.co& 8(at 7an -e Aearned a-out Anti#e&iti#& 115 1 INT)*+,CTI*N& ')*-L!#ATISATI*N *( TH! (I!L+ IN TH! C*NT!.T *( /!)#AN S*CIAL SCI!NC! !+,CATI*N ,(e incidence# ari#in. in #c(ool and ot(er conte6t# fro& anti#emitic (atred in 5erman+ (and el#e'(ere) are 'ell /no'n and documented (#ee Bic/, 4Cvermann, Jen#en, <ern#tein D Eerl, 201F). ,(i# (atred (a# a lon. (i#tor+ and continue# 'ell into t(e %re#ent. ?orall+ and %oliticall+ #%ea/in., t(erefore, education a-out anti#emiti#& #ee&# vital. 4o'e*er, t(ere are #e*eral o-#tacle# to t(i# t+%e of education in 5erman+, '(ere t(e %re#ent #tud+ 'a# conducted. One of t(e main %ro-le&# i# t(at in educational #ettin.# t(ere i# no relational continuit+ %re#ented -et'een anti#emiti#&G# (i#torical manife#tation# and it# current for&#. ?ore #%ecificall+, re.ardin. t(e 4olocaust, t(ere i# a .eneral lac/ of under#tandin. on t(e %art of %u%il# of '(+ it 'a# Je'# tar.eted for total de#truction. ,(i# #tart# at %rimar+ #c(ool '(ere +oun. c(ildren, upon encounterin. t(e to%ic of National Sociali#&, 0inevita-l+ (zwangsläufig) a#/ t(eir teac(er# '(+ it 'a# Je'# '(o 'ere %er#ecuted2 or 0'(at are Je'# in actual fact12 (En)en-ac(, 2012, %. HH). ,(e trend continue# to (i.( #c(ool '(ere %u%il# 'it( #o-called mi.ration -ac/.round fail to #ee t(e relevance of #tud+in. t(e 4olocaust at all, or co&%are it to t(eir o'n e6%erience# of -ein. di#criminated a.ain#t, or a#/ 3ue#tion# li/e 0'(+ didnGt 4itler ta/e t(e ,ur/#21 (Sc(Iuble, 2012, %. 1F9), t(u# #(o'in. lac/ of under#tandin. of t(e connection -et'een Je'i#(ne## (or -ein. Je'i#() and t(e 4olocaust. Anot(er %ro-le& amon. 5erman %upil# i# t(at a#ide fro& current for&# of ri.(t$'in. e6tremi#&, t(e+ cannot #ee an+ e6i#tin. (i#torical relation#(i%#, co&%arative ca#e# and #tructural #imilaritie# -et'een anti#emiti#& of t(e %a#t and t(e %re#ent (i-id). Some #c(olar# .o a# far a# #a+in. t(at $ .lo-all+ $ 4olocaust #tudie# (and -+ i&%lication education) (a# -ecome increa#in.l+ judenrein9 0Jat(er t(an #%ea/ of Je'# and Judai#&, 'e #%ea/ of co%in. and trauma, dialo.ue and (ealin., re%re#entation and reme&-rance, te6tual anal+#i# and et(ic# i&%lication# $ e*er+t(in. e6ce%t t(e #in.ular a##ault on Je'# and Judai#m. ,(us 'e (ave 4olocaust #tudie# 'it(out t(e 4olocaust2 (Eatter#on, 200K, %. 2K). ,(e#e o-#ervation# #(o' .a%# and #ilence# 'it( re.ard to t(e relation#(i% -et'een -ein. Je'i#( and e6%eriencin. anti#emiti#m - (i#toricall+ and in t(e %re#ent. Social Science Education in 5erman+ could %la+ a role in addre##in. #o&e of t(e#e .a%#. In #everal di#tinct %art# of t(e Nordr(ein 8e#tfalen Social Science curriculum1 t(ere are .uideline# for co&%etenc+ de*elo%&ent callin. for an a-ilit+ to anal+#e co&%le6 manife#tation#, cause# and effect# of different for&# of ine3ualit+ (?ini#tr+ of Education for Nordr(ein 8e#tfalen, NJ8, 201 , %. 30): learnin. (o' 0identit+ model#2 are e#ta-li#(ed and (o' t(e+ can -e anal+#ed: under#tandin. t(e i&%ortance of t(e cultural ori.in for identit+ con#truction of +oun. 'omen and +oun. men (%. 2L): -ein. a-le to identif+ t+%ical, clic(Md ideolo.ical t(in/in. (e... %re"udice# and #tereot+%e#) (%. 32): and anal+#in. t(e manife#tation#, cause# and #tructure# of international con*ention#, cri#e# and 'ar# (%. 39).2 5iven t(i# #co%e of o%%ortunit+ and &+ intere#t in narrative &et(odolo.ie#, I 'anted to a#/ a darin. 3ue#tion9 '(at can -e learned a-out anti#emiti#& fro& 4olocaust #urvivor te#timonie# t(at i# relevant for Social Science education1 7an t(e#e te#timo$ nie# -e useful for learnin. a-out anti#emitic #tereot+%e#, or a-out t(e #tructure# underl+in. t(e on.oin. (atred and demoni#ation of Je'#1 In ot(er 'ord#, (o' could #uc( te#timonie# -e used to #(ed li.(t on t(e continuitie# -et'een anti#emiti#& of t(e %a#t and t(e %re#ent1 In 5erman+, #uc( an in3uir+ (a# $ to &+ /no'led.e $ not -een conducted 'it( 4olocaust te#timonie# (and (ence t(i# #tud+ i# e6%erimental to a lar.e de.ree). Suc( te#timonie# (ave traditionall+ -een used in education a-out t(e 4olocau#t for a different %ur%o#e, na&el+ to act a# a &ean# to 0re#tore2 t(e victi&#G di.nit+ and to fulfil t(e %olitical mandate of 0never a.ain2, &eanin. t(at t(e+ are &eant to -e u#ed for t(e %ur%o#e of 0civili#in.2 %upil# #o t(at t(i# (i#tor+ i# ne*er re%eated (#ee ?e#et(, 200L). In t(e 5erman conte6t, le##on# a-out t(e 4olocaust are .enerall+ treated #e%aratel+ fro& t(e #tud+ of anti#emiti#m. =or e6a&%le, in a relativel+ recent international, four-da+, interdi#ci%linar+ conference on 4olocaust Education in ?unic( (NI(e und Di#tan), 201L), anti#emiti#& did not 8(at 7an -e Aearned a-out Anti#e&iti#& 116 feature once in t(e title# of t(e more t(an KH %re#entation#. Accordin. to a recent #tud+, 0t(ere i# often a lac/ of a'arene## of t(e %ro-le&, al#o -ecause anti#emiti#& i# mi#"ud.ed in it# #%ecificit+ a# a %erfervid vie' of t(e 'orld and i# #ub#umed under ot(er for&# of di#cri&ination2 (Sal)-orn D ;urt(, 2019, %. 39). Education a-out anti#emiti#& tend# to follo' a 0Feuerwehr- politik2 (i-id, %.5), '(ic( refer# to #(ort$ter& e&er.enc+ &ea#ure# (li/e e6tin.ui#(in. a fire), aimed at dealin. 'it( anti#emitic incident# #+&%tomaticall+, &o#tl+ done -+ out-of #c(ool facilitator#, 'it( t(e ai& of 0immuni#in. a.ain#t anti$#emiti#&2 (Sc(Iuble, 2012, %. 1F ). ,(ere are #e*eral doubt# '(et(er, for e6a&%le in t(e educational 'or/ done at concentration and deat( ca&% &emorial #ite#, t(ere i# an+ %o##i-ilit+ or e*en de#ira-ilit+ to addre## 3ue#tion# concernin. current for&# of anti#emiti#& (4aug, 201F, %. 1HH). So&e #c(olar# ar.ue t(at t(i# #e%aration i# o'ed to an underl+in.