Globalization and Localization of Holocaust Memory

Abstract


 
 
 Western media’s narrative of the current Ukrainian refugee crisis has revealed underpinnings of white supremacist ethnic values that fuel Western cosmopolitanism. Integrating globalized cases of war and genocide into local narratives allows for Western nations to condemn human rights abuses while ignoring their own histories of atrocities. In this paper I present the processes of globalization and localization of Holocaust memorialization as a case study by which to understand how Western, globalized nations engage in dialogue about human rights. I first illustrate the emergence of discourses surrounding memory, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, which gave rise to a global Holocaust memory in the West. I then outline how this global memory was adopted locally, resulting in the nationalization of Holocaust memorialization. I argue that a consequence of the localization of Holocaust memory is that it serves to subvert local memories of human rights abuses, ultimately keeping colonial institutions intact.