Is it possible to understand the Holocaust? Insights from some German school contexts

Abstract

ABSTRACTAgainst the background of the uniqueness position regarding antisemitism, this study seeks to find out whether there are thought patterns, as expressions of cultural memory, in members of school communities in Germany, that obscure the possibility to understand the Holocaust. Using an ethnographic data gathering and a historiographical data analysis method, narratives were constructed from recorded opinions, interviews and conversations with teachers and pupils around this topic. Such interactions were facilitated by the introduction of an educational DVD medium called “Witnesses of the Shoah.” Results show that four such thought patterns could be identified: incomprehension or incomprehensibility; relativization; externalization and generalization; and emotional defensiveness against prejudice. These results are discussed and their implications explored.