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Rethinking Hannah Arendt's Representation of The Understanding, Reconciliation, and Prevention – Rethinking Hannah Arendt’s Representation of the Holocaust by Lindsay Shirley Macumber A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department for the Study of Religion University of Toronto © Copyright by Lindsay Shirley Macumber 2016 Understanding, Reconciliation, and Prevention: Rethinking Hannah Arendt’s Representation of the Holocaust Lindsay Shirley Macumber Doctor of Philosophy Centre for the Study of Religion University of Toronto 2016 Abstract In an effort to identify and assess the practical effects and ethical implications of representations of the Holocaust, this dissertation is a rethinking and evaluation of Hannah Arendt’s representation of the Holocaust according to the goal that she herself set out to achieve in thinking and writing about the Holocaust, understanding, or, “the unmediated, attentive facing up to, and resisting of, reality- whatever it may be.”1 By examining Arendt’s confrontation with the Holocaust from within the context of systemic evil (which is how I argue she approached the Holocaust), and in light of her ultimate aim to “be at home in the world,” I conclude that understanding entails both reconciling human beings to the world after the unprecedented evil of the Holocaust, as well as working towards its prevention in the future. Following my introductory chapter, where I argue that Arendt provided an overall representation of the Holocaust, and delimit the criteria of reconciliation and prevention, each subsequent chapter is dedicated to an aspect I identify as central to her representation of the Holocaust: Her claim that totalitarianism was unprecedented; that the evil exemplified by Adolf Eichmann was “banal;” and that the Jewish Councils “cooperated” with the Nazis in the destruction of their communities. Each of these chapters presents this aspect of Arendt’s representation, 1 OT, viii. i considers it in light of its responses, criticisms, and limitations, and asks whether it fulfills the criteria of reconciliation and prevention. In my concluding chapter, I consider where Arendt’s overall representation leaves us in light of these criteria, and the framework I have proposed. ii Acknowledgments This dissertation is the result of many years work that would not have been possible without the support of many individuals and institutions. First and foremost, it was my great fortune to work with a committee that both encouraged and challenged me at every stage. In many ways, this dissertation was inspired by a class taught by my supervisor, David Novak, entitled Philosophical Responses to the Holocaust, which I audited early in my degree, as well as a reading course on this topic. Since then, Dr. Novak has always been available and forthcoming with comments on and discussions about my work. I have benefited greatly from considering many aspects of Arendt’s thought in light of his particular concerns and perspective. Throughout my degree, Doris Bergen has been a continuous source of inspiration and support, and has ensured that the theoretical aspects of my dissertation have remained grounded in the historical reality of the Holocaust. Throughout the years, she has also connected me with several other students, scholars, and institutions that have had a profound effect on my thinking and on the final form of this dissertation. Her teaching and the conversations we have shared have shaped not only this project, but also my professional development immensely. Ronald Beiner’s expertise on Arendt’s thought greatly impacted the final shape and form of my dissertation. Throughout its development, he offered important challenges to my interpretations of Arendt, all of which contributed to its refinement and improvement, and have made it something I am truly proud of. iii I also offer my deepest thanks to Steven Katz, my external examiner, and Rebecca Wittmann, my internal examiner, both of whom asked excellent questions and helped me think about my project in new ways. Throughout my degree, I have benefited greatly from interactions with the staff, faculty, and students at both the Centre for the Study for Religion and the Centre for Jewish Studies. The interactive and interdisciplinary nature of these departments offered the ideal climate for the development of a project such as this one, and also allowed me several opportunities to share my ideas and work at graduate student conferences and colloquiums. Special thanks goes to the Centre for Jewish Studies, which funded my research at many crucial points, and to our Graduate Administrator, Fereshteh Hashemi, without whom I would never have been able to navigate successfully through this degree. My participation in several seminars and research trips, particularly the Curt C. and Else Silberman Seminar (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum), the Summer Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization (Holocaust Educational Foundation), the Auschwitz Jewish Centre Fellows Program (Auschwitz Jewish Center, NY Museum of Jewish Heritage), and the Genocide and Human Rights University Program (Zoryan Institute), allowed me to place my thinking and work within a wider conversation and to consider it in light of various issues and perspectives. This dissertation has also been influenced and made possible by my mentors, friends, and family members. I have dedicated this dissertation to my colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend, Magi Abdul-Masih. From the time I sat in her classes as a shy and quiet undergraduate student, I have been able to depend on Magi for guidance, support, encouragement, iv thoughtful critique of my work, and insightful conversation. Without her support and friendship, I would not be the scholar or the person I am today. While developing this dissertation, I had the good fortune of working as a teaching assistant for Dorota Glowacka in her classes on Holocaust representation at King’s College in Halifax, NS. This position not only allowed me to develop my thinking and teaching in many important ways, but also provided me with the chance to discuss many of my ideas with Dorota, whose teaching and thinking have an element of honesty that I strive to emulate in my own work. In my years at King’s College, I also served as a teaching assistant to Daniel Brandes, in his class on Hannah Arendt. This position came at a pivotal time in the development of my dissertation, and allowed me to consider key moments in Arendt’s thinking in light of her entire body of work. Daniel was also gracious enough to allow me to read and cite his doctoral dissertation on Arendt in this work, and to make himself available to me for many enlightening conversations. The many ways in which our thinking on Arendt converge and diverge has inspired me, as has his style of teaching and relating to Arendt, which is simultaneously critical and admiring. When venturing outside of academia, studying a topic such as the Holocaust has the potential to be isolating. Thanks to my closest friends, however, this has never been my experience. In fact, many aspects of my thinking have been shaped by the conversations I have shared with my closest friends, who have always shown an immense amount of curiosity and interest in my work, and who have asked some of the most intriguing questions. For the many (many) evenings spent in conversation I offer my warmest thanks to Jody MacDonald, Allison Wood, Amy Spurway and Annie Goodyer. v Special thanks also need to be offered to my husband, Brian Jones, whose support has made the completion of this project possible. From the very beginning, when my degree placed us in different provinces, until this year, when we welcomed our first son, he has allowed me the space required to commit myself to my work, despite the sacrifices it entailed. Finally, for this project, for my entire academic career, and for much more, I thank my parents, Alan and Debbie Macumber. Their unwavering confidence in me has helped me to see myself through their eyes, and allowed me to persevere throughout these long and sometimes difficult years of study. vi Table of Contents Chapter 1 Holocaust Representation, Hannah Arendt, and Understanding 9 Chapter 2 The Holocaust as Unprecedented 48 Chapter 3 Adolf Eichmann and the Banality of Evil 112 Chapter 4 Judging the Jewish Councils 243 Conclusion 337 Bibliography 346 vii Chapter One Holocaust Representation, Hannah Arendt, and Systemic Evil My concern to analyze and evaluate Arendt’s representation of the Holocaust in this way was inspired by recent developments in the field of Holocaust representation, which is becoming ever more aware of the practical and ethical implications of how the Holocaust is represented. In this introductory chapter, I will give a brief overview of some of the developments in this field that demonstrate this recent concern; present my claim that Arendt did in fact, throughout her lifetime, provide an overall representation of the Holocaust, which she understood as a form of systemic evil; further delimit the criteria of reconciliation and prevention according to which I will evaluate this representation; explain the structure of my subsequent chapters; and, finally, consider the scope, limitations, potential conflicts, and contributions of my project. Representing the Holocaust The field of Holocaust representation has several characteristics that distinguish it from most, or all, other academic fields. One of these characteristics is its multidisciplinary nature. Although other fields also bring together sources and methodologies from across various disciplines, Holocaust representation is perhaps the only field whose foundational texts come to us from across various genres (including literature, testimony, and documentary), and from across virtually all disciplines (including history, philosophy, and sociology), and which continues to be shaped and determined by the dialogue between these multidisciplinary texts. This field is also characterized by a number of unique challenges, important debates, and shifts, some of 1 2 which I will summarize in this chapter.
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