PROPOSAL TYPE
Traditional Panel
SEEKING
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Specific Expertise
- Seeking Additional Presenters
RELATED TOPICS
- Government Historians
- Memory
- Oral History
ABSTRACT
I would like to present on the historical urgency faced during and immediately after atrocities are committed, by focusing on the Holocaust specifically and other recent genocides more generally.
DESCRIPTION
For this session, I would like to present examples that strongly emphasize the concept of historical urgency–the Holocaust as a whole, and more recent genocides such as the ones in Rwanda and Syria/Iraq.
The Holocaust was so massive in scale, and we have such an overwhelming amount of evidence for it, that we are able to study many phases of documentation through its lens–contemporary resistance, memoirs, trials, oral testimonies, and memorialization. Each of these steps highlights the necessity of gathering and sharing information at all phases. Examining the Holocaust also allows us to understand how proof gathered at every stage of atrocity has aided in refuting the denial and distortion of this historical event.
The more recent genocides would provide context for how historical urgency can be current and ongoing, and how it might manifest in society. We are just starting to see the results of all the work done by survivors and historians to document these genocides.
I would be looking for feedback regarding interest in this topic, and whether there would be any related proposals whose presenters would like to team up for a panel (or any potential panelists who would be interested in this topic, and who have a background in Holocaust or genocide education).
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly: Cheyanne Perkins, Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 7, 2023. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
Your proposal makes me think of an example closer to home, i.e., children killed in Native boarding schools. The relatively recent experience of beginning to document, reckon with, and memorialize these events may be an interesting pair with what you’ve put forward.
Several years ago, an organization in my community attempted to collect oral history interviews with refugees, including those from countries experiencing genocide. Unfortunately, the project was not well-thought out and failed to garner much participation. Yet, I think work like this on the local level could be important for documenting people’s experiences. I would love to see a panel like this address the kind of knowledge, preparation, and sensitivity that needs to go into work like this. Researchers really need some basis in trauma-informed practice. How can we better prepare historians and students to work with people who have experienced genocide?
I like the idea of continued research of highly historically significant events, like the Holocaust, because society should be well-equipped to recognize and prevent genocide by preserving memory. How can genocidal events be recognized as such at the moment?