The silence of genocide and voice of survivors: the role of Holocaust memorials in education by Sasha Wittes A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Theoretical, Cultural and International Studies in Education Department of Educational Policy Studies University of Alberta © Sasha Wittes, 2017 Abstract Through Holocaust memorials, visitors to the sites are able to educate themselves on past events. It is with the building of these memorials that the importance of memory within the Jewish community is constructed and how an understanding of genocide is defined. Memorials are a product of their time and space, and to comprehend this point, the thesis begins with the importance of nationalism and the making of nationhood in all its variations. It is also critical to understand what makes up a nation, the ethnic identity, and the community. Through a lens of public pedagogy, I explore what the Holocaust means for societies, communities, and myself. I do this by delving into the politics of the word “holocaust,” its various spellings, definitions, and enunciation and its multiple receptions and responses. Using autoethnography and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), I explore the variety of meanings, linguistic enunciations, and social contexts of being the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. I connect this exploration with an interrogation of the varied perspectives of (and in and through) collective memory and their relationships to identity formation and how people consider the various subjective and objective orientations to memorials on a continuum of the naively popular to the academically informed. Furthermore, my linguistic and social contextualization of materials draws on the selective use of an expansive secondary literature to provide an overview of the Holocaust in world history as well as Canada’s role during the Holocaust and public pedagogy and education to comprehend antisemitism. The main purpose of this thesis is to explore the nature of collective memory, public pedagogy, and education in and for public spaces. The thesis focuses on how these ideas fit into the notion of Holocaust memorials as critical educative tools. I conclude that informal sites of learning have the capacity to encourage questioning and critical understanding for people who ii engage with memorials. Memorials, as places of public pedagogy, have tremendous power to influence people through their aesthetic use of physical space and the multitude of ways to learning opportunities for participants. My final reflections in the thesis provide a multi- perspective analysis on the role of memorials in public pedagogy, and how they can provide a myriad of new ways to relook at the past, revisit the present, and reimagine the future. iii Dedication For my grandmother, Annemarie Klauber Wittes, who only ever wanted to forget. Thank you, in spite of it all for showing me the fairies. To my mother, Carla Wittes, for teaching me that we must always remember. iv Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the tremendous support I received from my supervisor, Dr. Jerrold Kachur, whose mentorship has allowed me to develop tremendously as a researcher and scholar. Thank you Dr. Jonathan Anuik and Dr. Anna Kirova for agreeing to be examiners on my thesis defense committee. I have appreciated all your notes, criticism, and advice throughout the process. Also, I would like to thank the Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Research and its directors, Dr. Ali A. Abdi and Dr. Lynette Shultz, for all the encouragement, support, and laughs during my time as a graduate student. To my wonderful and supportive husband, Brad, thank you for all your love, kindness and support in helping me achieve this goal. Thank you for all the lattes and chocolate to keep me focused. Your calmness and encouragement was the best gift. Thank you to my parents and brothers for their unwavering support throughout this process. Your belief in me meant more than you will ever know. To all the Holocaust survivors that have been willing to share their stories with me, educate me, cry with me and laugh with me - you are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for being your open- minded, loving and thoughtful selves. v Table of Contents CHAPTER 1:INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 Each of Us Has a Name ................................................................................................................. 1 My Story ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Nationalism and Nationhood ....................................................................................................... 9 Public Pedagogy .......................................................................................................................... 11 Public Spaces and Education ..................................................................................................... 19 Meaningful and Reflective Learning ......................................................................................... 21 Holocaust and Genocide Studies ............................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 2: DEFINING THE HOLOCAUST ...................................................................... 27 The Holocaust .............................................................................................................................. 27 Etymology of Genocide ............................................................................................................... 27 Etymology of holocaust............................................................................................................... 32 The Politics of Definitions .......................................................................................................... 36 The Significance of Etymology .................................................................................................. 38 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 46 Who Speaks. Who is Silent. ....................................................................................................... 46 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 46 Qualitative Research Methodology ........................................................................................... 47 Defining Critical Discourse Analysis ......................................................................................... 48 Defining Autoethnography ......................................................................................................... 52 Where Autoethnography and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) Meet ............................... 56 Ethics of Historical Research ..................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 4:INTERPRETING THE HOLOCAUST AND ITS MEANING ...................... 60 The Holocaust Is .......................................................................................................................... 60 Interpreting the Holocaust ......................................................................................................... 60 Antisemitism ................................................................................................................................ 63 Victims of the Holocaust ............................................................................................................. 66 Timeline of the Holocaust ........................................................................................................... 73 The Jewish Shtetl ........................................................................................................................ 78 vi Collective Memory ...................................................................................................................... 78 Social/Cultural Memory ............................................................................................................. 83 Between History and Memory ................................................................................................... 85 Jewish Views on Memory (Zachor! [Remember]) ................................................................... 89 CHAPTER 5: BEARING WITNESS TO THE HOLOCAUST: MEMORIALS AND THEIR MEANINGS ................................................................................................................... 96 What Memorials Are .................................................................................................................. 97 Auschwitz-Birkenau ................................................................................................................... 99 Majdanek ................................................................................................................................... 105 Treblinka ................................................................................................................................... 107 Belzec .......................................................................................................................................... 109 The Warsaw Ghetto/Rappoport Memorial