Synecdochic Memory at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Abstract

Rather than function simply as a metonymic, part-to-whole relation, objects on exhibit in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) also function as synecdoches, establishing a part-to-part relation that ultimately defers their connection to the historical past. Potentially, this latter relation undermines the historical authenticity that museum-goers seem to seek, and which the USHMM designers wished to inculcate.