UNEARTHING MATERIAL CULTURE: HOLOCAUST OBJECT BIOGRAPHIES AS EVIDENCE OF LIFE. JEANNE JEBSON MA by research University of York Archaeology December 2020 ABSTRACT Archaeological material culture provides interpretations regarding past human life. Increasingly this material culture has been used to explore the personal life and the biographies of individuals immersed in the past (eg Joy 2009; Grassby 2005). This dissertation has applied this premise to material culture associated with the Holocaust and has explored the possibility of an affective dissemination format with the inclusion of object biographies. The research hypothesis stated “a Holocaust artefact when accompanied by an object biography has a greater emotional affect on an audience than an object without a biography”. The data from a questionnaire allowed a comparison of 120 participant emotional responses to four objects with a biography to the responses to six objects without a biography. The data also encouraged supplementary enquiries exploring the affect of different object types and how participant gender and age impacts on emotional responses to Holocaust artefacts. The research results demonstrated that there is a significant difference between the emotional responses for items with and without an object biography; items with an object biography produced a higher emotional response from participants. The results also demonstrated a correlation between Holocaust object type and emotional response; higher emotional responses did correlate with personal items, items associated with a specific group and sentimental items. Additionally, a weak but positive correlation with gender and emotional response was identified. A significant difference between male and female emotional responses was determined indicating that female participants had higher emotional response scores. Finally, a significant difference was identified between the three participant age groups and their emotional responses. This research considers the use of effective exhibits across Holocaust museum sites and observer engagement and empathy when presented with displays emphasising the scale of death. The experience of ‘shock’ may limit an emotional connection with an individual immersed in the Holocaust. 2 CONTENTS Page No. Abstract 2 Contents 4 Figures and Tables list 7 Acknowledgements 10 Dissertation declaration 10 Chapter One: Introduction 11 1.1 Foundations of research 11 1.2 Scope of research 16 1.3 Dissertation structure 17 Chapter Two: Literature Review 19 2.1 Chapter overview 19 2.2 An overview of the historical role and value of material culture in archaeology 20 2.3 Historical and contemporary archaeology 22 2.4 Conflict archaeology: utilising established approaches 23 2.5 The contribution and value of Holocaust archaeology: where, what & why? 24 2.6 Affective versus effective in the Holocaust dissemination arena 28 2.7 The contribution of object biographies for dissemination and further 30 Holocaust enquiry 2.8 A consideration of the limitations of object biographies 31 2.9 The question of ‘value’ and further debate 32 2.10 Further challenges 35 2.11 Literature review conclusion 37 3 Chapter Three: Methodology 39 3.1 Research aims in relation to the methodology 39 3.2 Rationale: An explanation of the research aims 40 3.3 The initial desktop research methods 41 3.4 The method for creating an object biography 41 3.5 Questionnaire design and procedure 43 3.6 Questionnaire Data analysis 47 3.7 Chapter conclusion 49 Chapter Four: Results 49 4.1 Sobibór: An overview 50 4.2 The identification tag object biography 51 4.3 Statistical testing 56 4.4 Research results 69 Chapter Five: Discussion 70 5.1 An interpretation and discussion of the research results 70 5.2 Implications of this research for literature introduced in Chapter Two: 73 Literature review 5.3 Practical and further research recommendations 92 5.4 Discussion chapter conclusions 94 Chapter Six: Conclusion 96 6.1 Summary of research: A brief summary of the questionnaire exercise and results 96 6.2 A summary of the contribution to research 96 6.3 Research methodology appraisal and possible additions 100 6.4 Recommendations 101 6.5 Dissertation conclusion: A final author note 103 4 Bibliography 104 Appendices 117 Appendix 1: Method additional material 117 (i) Sobibór case study (ii) Artefact analysis sheet (iii) Questionnaire participant ethics (iv) Questionnaire Appendix 2: Results additional material 139 (i) Tukey post hoc results tables Appendix 3: Conclusion and recommendation additional material 150 (i) Current exhibitions: the presentation of the scale of death (ii) The presentation of Holocaust material culture (iii) Authentic spaces (iv) Exhibition recommendations (v) Further considerations (vi) Appendix conclusion 5 LIST OF FIGURES Page No Figure 1 The identification tag belonging to Annie Kapper and the 44 condensed biography presented in the questionnaire Figure 2 Completed artefact analysis worksheet for the identification tag 51 Figure 3 Attachment 1 for reference with artefact analysis worksheet 52 /identification tag. Approximate location of identification tag excavation Figure 4 A scaled reconstruction of the identification tag to demonstrate 53 actual size on a 12 year old girl Figure 5 Reconstruction of the identification tag worn as a wrist 53 pendent for scale Figure 6 Annie Kapper Family Tree including photographs of Annie’s 55 aunt and uncle Figure 7 Location of Sobibór Death camp 117 Figure 8 View of the ramp and siding of the former Nazi death camp in Sobibór 118 Figure 9 Plan of Sobibór site 120 Figure 10 Witness map- Sobibór 121 Figure 11 Alexander Petcherski Sketch 122 Figure 12 A similar example of an identification tag from Sobibór 124 Figure 13.Artefact analysis worksheet 124 Figures 14-24 Questionnaire images 128-138 Figure 25 Auschwitz exhibit 150 Figure 26 Heritage board Auschwitz 151 Figure 27 Heritage board Auschwitz 152 Figure 28 Presenting death 153 Figure 29 Exhibit in the ‘Sauna’ building-Birkenau 154 Figure 30 Tower of faces 155 Figure 31 Prisoner possessions exhibit at Birkenau 156 Figure 32 An example of a barrack reconstruction at the Terezin 157 Magdeburg barracks 6 Figure 33 An object biography presentation 158 Figure 34.A focus on poster sections that would be readable as a 159 large format and an exhibit but are restricted within this digital submission. Figure 35 Poster section displaying Annie Kapper family tree 160 Figure 36 Poster section displaying the Kapper family first address and 160 the fathers’ home music tuition advertisement Figure 37 Poster section displaying the Kapper family final address in 161 Amsterdam and the fathers’ music tuition advertisement for this home. Also, an image of one of the venues that Annie’s great uncle performed opera Figure 38 Proposed exhibit utilising QR codes and mobile phone technology 162 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 The proportion of the respondents by gender 57 Table 2 A chart to show the distribution of participants by age 57 Table 3 The descriptive statistics related to the mean and standard deviation 58 of the total emotional response score Table 4 A table to show a comparison of the means of participant’s 59 emotional response to questionnaire items with and without object biography Table 5 A quick reference table to show the ranking and detail of questionnaire 60 items in relation to average emotional response scores Table 6 ANOVA test results for the emotional score differences to objects 61 with/without an object biography Table 7 Multiple comparisons of the emotional responses from (Item 1-ID tag) 62 and other object types Table 8 Correlation coefficients among the key variables. A summary of the 63 correlation coefficients between the independent variables; object type and gender and the dependent variable and emotional response score Table 9 Group statistics for emotional responses variation by gender 65 Table 10 Levene Equality of Variances test; an independent samples test 65 Table 11 Summary of the mean emotional responses in each of the age groups 66 Table 12 The correlations between the age groups and emotional response scores 67 Table 13 The differences between age groups and emotional response scores 68 7 Table 14 Multiple comparisons of the differences in emotional responses in the 69 different age groups Table 15 A reminder of the questionnaire items with and without an object 139 biography Table 16 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 1 (Red) to other 140 object types Table 17 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 2 (Yellow) to other 141 object types Table 18 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 3 (Blue) to other 142 object types Table 19 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 4 (Red) to other 143 object types Table 20 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 5 (Blue) to other 144 object types Table 21 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 6 (Orange) to other 145 object types Table 22 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 7 (Green) to other 146 object types Table 23 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 8 (Yellow) to other 146 object types Table 24 Summary of the comparison of the responses of Item 9 (Orange) to other 148 object types Table 25 Summary of the comparison of the responses of item 10 (Green) to other 149 object types 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It would be fair to say that this research journey has been a mixture of many different emotions. This included many high points and affirmed a commitment to archaeological studies but also many occasions of academic self doubt and frustrations. The subject matter of the Holocaust obviously presents emotional challenges and a constant need to evaluate academic objectivity and research presentation. In addition, the ongoing challenges of the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic have presented further pressures including cancelling research visits to Holocaust sites and adapting the research methodology to suit.