Feminist Interpretations of the Holocaust

Abstract

The emergence of the study of the history of the Holocaust following the “silent years”, which occupied nearly two decades of the post-war era, coincided with the establishment of second wave feminism. Despite the creation of the discipline of Women’s and Gender Studies and the emerging variety of women’s history within post secondary institution, discussion of women in the Holocaust did not become a part of the discourse of history until the late seventies. In addition to the lag in addressing the study of the history of women in the Holocaust, the application of feminist theory to Holocaust history was late to the academic conversation. Feminist history of the Holocaust was finally studied in the early eighties, in order to better understand not only women in the Holocaust but also the Holocaust more generally. However, the discourse failed to evolve and diversify as quickly as other forms of feminist history. As a result of the perceived exceptionality of the Holocaust within the context of history and even within the more specified picture of the history of genocide, the application of feminist theory as well as the understanding of the experiences of women and the implications of gender within the Holocaust remain relatively stunted within the context of Holocaust and feminist history.