Comparison Controversies and the Dynamics of Holocaust Memory
Lecture by Michael Rothberg (UCLA)
Abstract
What is the status of Holocaust memory eighty years after the end of World War II? In my colloquium, I will approach this question from the perspective of “comparison controversies.” Comparison controversies consist of impassioned public debates that emerge from provocative historical comparisons or from the use of historical analogies to describe contemporary crises. Since October 7, 2023, political speeches, artworks, essays, and videos, among other phenomena, have generated controversy by connecting recent events in Israel and Gaza to National Socialism and the Holocaust. Such controversies are by no means novel occurrences, however. While the core of my talk will focus on post-October 7/Gaza examples, I will consider those examples concerning a larger context of comparison controversies and in a longer trajectory of Holocaust memory. Surveying some examples from different realms will allow us to begin sketching the dynamics and stakes of comparative Holocaust memory.
About CEMES Lecture Series
Throughout the year, and across Copenhagen, Lund, and Malmö, several lectures will exhibit cutting-edge research within our research themes of Modern European Studies, some coming from our three partner institutions and some from elsewhere.
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