Crisis of Values and Dehumanization: A Current Reflection from the Holocaust

Abstract

This educational proposal emerges from the need of approaching a current and significant social phenomenon: the massive arrival of refugees in Europe. For this purpose, the origin of this study goes back to the pursuit and annihilation of the Jews by the German state and their partners during the second third of the last century. From that perspective, a lot of social contents can be developed so that it helps to the understanding, analysis and reflection of today’s historical and social reality. The target of this project focuses on making the students aware of the German national-socialism so they can ponder the current crisis of values of the European democracies as well as the dehumanization that thousands of people who run away from their origin countries are suffering today. Approaching an issue like this is significant due to the racist and discriminatory attitudes that have been emerging in the past few years, aggravated by ultra-political parties in national parliaments and European institutions. These behaviours are challenging the tolerance and respect values that should be characteristic in a democratic society. In such a situation, educating in and to the citizenship becomes something vitally important