Holocaust: The Annihilation of the European Jews

This seminar is dedicated to the history of the Holocaust as the key crime of National Socialism. It focuses on the ideological foundations of antisemitism, on the political and social framework, and on the gradual radicalization of the politics of persecution and annihilation. Through a selection of sources as well as historical and contemporary debates in research, it will address key aspects such as the marginalization and disenfranchisement of the Jews, ghettoization and deportation, and the organization of mass murder. It will moreover discuss the scope of agency of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders along with questions of commemorative culture and historiography. The aim of the seminar is to develop a deeper understanding of historical processes, structures, and responsibilities and to assess the significance of the Holocaust for European and global history. Aside from key texts of German contemporary historiography, it will primarily focus on international research as well as long-forgotten works of Jewish historians who were pushed to the margins.

Literature: An reading list will be presented in the first session.