Why I No Longer Work with Holocaust Literature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/rsth.31633Keywords:
Holocaust literature, genocide, discrimination, empathy, silence, speaking, bystander apathyAbstract
This vividly written reflection on research content, dissemination of knowledge, the researcher’s selfhood and ethical choices at a career point at which the author’s work is highly recognized and speaking invitations abound is a personal account of her decision to leave the field of Holocaust studies. Kokkola explains how she used elements from her own life-story to find the empathy needed to engage with the research material, whilst highlighting the dangers of drawing such parallels. She concludes by exposing how the Holocaust has been leveraged for political and economic purposes to negate the other genocides and to promote a simplified view of saviour nations and idealized victims.
References
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