SCY3980

Representing the Holocaust: interrogating museums and historical sites

Proposed to be offered next in 2000

Naomi White

8 points Overseas study

Objectives After completing the subject, students will have an understanding of the theoretical and socio-political literature relevant to representation; knowledge of the social and political conditions in Poland relevant to Holocaust displays; skills in oral and written critical analysis of museums and the presentation of historical sites relevant to the Holocaust; and team project work skills.

Synopsis The enormity of the Nazis' attempted genocide haunts the contemporary mind with crucial historical, socio-political, ethical and psychological questions. Since these events, the Holocaust has been a major sphere of cultural reflection, metaphysical scrutiny and political appropriation. Students will examine two categories of post-war depictions of the Holocaust in Poland: museum exhibits and sites which act as historical displays. These will be analysed in relation to theoretical debates about representation, with particular reference to the challenges posed by postmodernism. Attention will be paid to the way in which representation and remembrance are socially, culturally, politically and historically embedded as well as the ways in which these displays constitute contested sites of remembrance and representation.

Assessment Essays (1500 words): 30% Group project (3500 words): 50% Oral seminar paper (1000 words equivalent): 20%

Recommended texts

La Capra D Representing the Holocaust: History, theory, trauma Cornell U P, 1994
Friedlander S (ed.) Probing the limits of representation: Nazism and the 'final solution' Harvard U P, 1992

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