The Holocaust as a Tragic Trauma Drama - Essay Example

Why is the Holocaust such a focus for public commemoration and remembrance? Introduction The Holocaust is a tragic trauma drama that took place in human’s history, which also became subject to extensive commemoration and remembrance (Alexander 2002, 52). However, commemoration of the Holocaust attained larger interest only during the last few decades and until the 1970s public awareness of sufferings of the Jews during the WWII were not as widespread as it is nowadays (Littler, 1972-; Naidoo, 1965). While there are different opinions of why the Holocaust had lower level of interest earlier, there are some points that should be taken into consideration for clarification. As some researchers believe, during the post-war years public recognition of the Holocaust could adversely impact the senses of national identity of non-Jewish nations participating in war (Littler, 1972-; Naidoo, 1965). Thus, for example, the Holocaust could not be the British reference point during the war and immediately after it, as a British nation had its own losses which were more important to its own nation (Littler, 1972-; Naidoo, 1965). Moreover, there is even the view that there were even made efforts aimed at suppression of the Holocaust testimonies (Littler, 1972-; Naidoo, 1965). Nowadays, the situation has changed adversely and the interest to the Holocaust is increasing steadily. Funding of special research centers with the aim to investigate the smallest details of the Holocaust, sponsoring of further debates, introduction of college course focused specifically to this theme, naming of parks and streets for the Holocaust, construction of the monuments and memorials, expensive constructions of museums, annual commemorative ceremonies and exhibitions, conduction of the “Days of Remembrance” (Alexander 2002, 52) and many other forms of commemoration and remembrance represent the massive number of initiatives that are undertaken both locally and globally with a purpose to honor the victims of the Holocaust and to remind everybody about this tragedy. Such an increased attention to the Holocaust during the last few decades remains unclear and requires additional research. The aim of this paper is to answer the question of why the case of the Holocaust raises lots of debate and theorizing comparing to other social memory cases. But first, let us review the ways of such commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust. The Holocaust – Historical Background Nazi Extermination of the Jews, also widely known as Jewish Genocide or the Holocaust lasted during the World War II, from 1939 to 1945. The extermination of European Jews during these years was executed under Adolf Hitler’s leadership. The Jews in Germany, Poland and other countries were systematically violently persecuted, suffered exile, mental anguish, and were massively executed by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, also widely known as the Nazi Party (Lerner & Jacob 2013). In addition to the above listed sufferings, Jews were the subjects of the largest form of exploitation, where they were exploited as a workforce for different large-scale projects, where they literally worked to death. It is necessary to add that besides extermination of the Jewish race, there were undertaken various medical experiments on the Jews (Lerner & Jacob 2013). The Nazis exterminated not only Jewish nation, but also all deformed people, intellectuals, Gypsies, priests and other “undesirables” (Lerner & Jacob 2013). Total estimations of losses comprise between 10 to 12 million (Lerner & Jacob 2013, n.p.). Institutionalization of the Holocaust Nowadays, there are many different ways and forms of historicizing, commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust. Interesting to note that Germany, being a country with conflicted historical self-understanding, has become “epidemic of commemorating” (Shlant 1999, 226). While other countries might not be so “epidemic” as Germany, there are many different attributes and initiatives undertaken internationally for the Holocaust commemoration. Some of these include: museums and memorial institutions, public observances of remembrance days and anniversaries, plethora of films and TV series, exhibitions, documentaries, etc. Museums and memorial institutions Over one hundred museums and other memorial institutions of the established forms of monuments represent one of the most popular ways of the institutionalization of the Holocaust (Shlant 1999). The Holocaust monuments are often viewed as counter-monuments which have different concepts: some of them are designed as inversions or negatives of specific monuments, some are constructed to disappear within certain period of time, some are interactive, etc. (Shlant 1999, 224). Monuments and memorial play an important role in the Holocaust remembrance initiative as they raise debates, and debate, as we know, prevents forgetting (Shlant 1999, 224). Remembrance days and anniversaries Remembrance days or national commemorative days such as International Remembrance Day, Israel’s Memorial Day for the Holocaust and Heroism, date of liberalization of Auschwitz also are important ways of commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust. The uniqueness of such events lies in the opportunity to minimize or even eliminate the role of media on the ways of public’s perception of the past (Meyers et al 2009). Media representations Mass media is viewed as the most prevalent site of collective memory in modern national societies (Meyers et al 2009). However, the taking into consideration that the commercial media is focused on attracting a massive attention, it might sacrifice the quality and authenticity of the materials to catch the consumer’s attention and generate interest (Meyers et al 2009). Such an approach raises certain type of conflict, which should not be discussed here, however should be taken into consideration as mass media represent one of most important channels of informing and commemorating about the Holocaust. Transition from national to cosmopolitan memory cultures Holocaust as a subject to memorialisation has passed several main stages of its development in terms of public awareness, starting from the silence, continued with the increase of public awareness smoothly passing to national memories, and finishing by global concerns and remembrance and commemoration (Levy 2006). The commemoration and the historiography of the Holocaust have gained its booming popularity in the last two decades (Levy et al 2002). Levy et al (2002, 93) believe that this explosion was not just a consequence of the enormity of the Holocaust but instead “it related to the need for a moral touchstone in an age of uncertainty and the absence of master ideological narratives” (Levy et al 2002, 93). Holocaust, being a denationalized cosmopolitan memory, is perceived as a symbol for humanistic care and global solidarity, which unites individuals independently of their race, culture, religion or class (Misztal 2010). During certain periods of time various forces were trying to universalize, particularize and nationalize the Holocaust memory. However, recently it has been transformed into a global collective memory (Levy et al 2002, 93). Collective memory or cultural memory is referred to “collectively shared representations of the past” (Craps and Rothberg 2011, 517). Some researchers introduce a new concept of “cosmopolitan memory” and argue that this new form of memory emerged alongside nationally bounded memories, and also was the result of the particularization and universalization efforts (Levy et al 2002, 87). Cosmopolitan memory is referred to a process that moves attention away from the idea of territorialized nation state which often raises associations with the notion of collective memory (Levy and Sznaider, n.d). Cosmopolitan memory represents a successful expansion of a mixture of the national and the global and thus protects both not only minority but also cultural rights (Misztal 2010, 36). Levy and Sznaider (2004, 144) believe that universalism and particularism is a co-existing pair of categories. Based on Levy et al (2002) suggestions, the Holocaust was the event that provided the foundations for this new cosmopolitan memory (Levy et al 2002). Levy et al (2002) explain that the event of massive destruction of the European Jews by Nazis during the WWII has removed ethnic and national boundaries and accelerated the formation of transnational cosmopolitan memory cultures (Levy et al 2002). Levy and Sznaider (2004, 155) also believe that such a focus on remembrance and commemoration of the Holocaust is a result of the “role which the Holocaust has played in the transition form the world of national sovereignty to a new world of interconnectedness and toward a more cosmopolitanized global civil society”. However, despite the increasing global awareness and remembrance of the Holocaust, there exist certain local sensibilities in every country (Levy et al 2002). Thus, the Holocaust should not be perceived as an event that has the same central meaning for everyone, especially among different cultures. As Levy at al (2002, 92) state: “the cosmopolitanization of Holocaust memories involves the formation of nation-specific and nation-transcending commonalities”. In other words, wile practically all nation-states are part of a global subsystem there still is kept the continuity of national memories, however, combined with universal periodizations (Misztal 2010). Levy and Sznaider (2004) add that some people understand the Holocaust as the history of racism at its worst, as the culmination of the anti-Semitism history, or as a crime against humanity. All these different interpretations of the tragedy indicate to the cosmopolitanization of political life. Misztal (2010, 40) argues that cosmopolitan memory is a result of information and communication technologies, which in turn, increase the sense of global interconnectedness. Thus, there can be defined three main factors that play an important role in creation and promotion of the Holocaust commemoration and knowledge, including: nation-states, the commemoration industry, and the mass media (Misztal 2010). No need to explain that all these three “stakeholders” have absolutely different opportunities, resources and particularistic interests. It is logically to assume that dominance in memory of one of these parties might result in increased remembrance and commemoration of the Holocaust. Some evidence related to the issue of conflicting and competing Holocaust frameworks is referred to the Auschwitz (Hasian 2006). “Auschwitz” and its horrors are automatically associated with both the Holocaust and tourist destination point. Undoubtedly, the history should not hide its past, even though it is dreadful and cruel. However, as any other great historical event, “Aushwitz” story also might have had manipulations related to knowledge and collective memory (Hasian 2006). Hasian (2006, 50) explains that during the 1950s and 1960 were being presented with conflicting and competing Holocaust frameworks. While this facts do not reveal the ways and incentives or causes of the Holocaust commemoration and remembrance, it give some insight for further thinking and supports the idea of cosmopolitan memory, where local sensibilities (interpretations) are combined with the common patterns. Traumatic Event for All Humankind As it already has been mentioned, Holocaust has been transformed from traumatic event for delimited particular group to traumatic event for all global community over the last five decades. However, besides the cosmopolitan memory and potential of dominating of politicians or mass media, there is another factor that might serve a reason of increased commemoration of the Holocaust. Alexander (2002, 31) explains that the Holocaust as the primal “trauma drama” event raises concerns of many people and thus, eliminates the possibility of happening this again. Raising people’s awareness with a key focus made on the trauma drama might be viewed as an effective instrument for ensuring that this will never happen again. From this perspective, “compulsive returning to the trauma drama gave the story of the Holocaust a mythical status that transformed it into the archetypical sacred-evil of our time” (Alexander 2002, 31). Broadcasting of the tragic history of the Holocaust has been extensively dramatized through the various mass media resources, including television shows, books, movies and plays (Alexander 2002, 35). This fact interacts closely with the above discussed issue of potential dominance of mass media. In this case, mass media, distributed worldwide and seen by hundreds of millions of individuals is a strong instrument of reinforcing the drama and trauma of the Holocaust. The effect of such a massive “enlightening” was strengthened by personalization of the trauma and its characters (Alexander 2002, 35). Alexander (2002, 44) provides an extensive analysis of various manipulations with historical information or personalization techniques used for depicting the Holocaust events and draws the following conclusion: “if the Holocaust were not perceived of a tragedy, it would not attract such continuous, even obsessive attention; this attention would not be rewarded, in turn, if the Holocaust were not understood in a detached and universalizing way.” Taking into consideration this approach it is possible to state that increased commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust is just a result of mass media manipulation through emotional identification and symbolic extension of trauma. The Holocaust and Human Rights Levy and Sznaider (2004) also discuss a new form of cosmopolitanism, however in a view of recent proliferation of human rights. Holocaust as a specific historical event filled with racial and ethnic hatred, war, and violence and that was transformed into a “generalized symbol of human suffering and moral evil, a universalized symbol whose very existence has created historically unprecedented opportunities for ethnic, racial, and religious justice, for mutual recognition, and for global conflicts to become regulated in a more civil way” (Alexander 2002, 6). Researchers believe that the Holocaust became an epochal break which gave birth to a moral consensus about human rights consolidated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 (Levy and Sznaider 2004). Thus, the memory of the Holocaust combined with the Universal Declaration reinforce the imperative of human rights and promote a very clear and strong position towards this issue on a global scale (Levy and Sznaider 2004, 143). A moral world should keep aside if the human rights of others are neglected. The well-known universal slogan “Never Again” already mentioned above in the text doesn’t require additional explanation as it is understood practically by every nation and ethnicity (Levy and Sznaider 2004, 143). This slogan implies not only Jewish repression but also any act of ethnic repression and potential genocide. Some of the examples where the Holocaust memory has performed its paradigmatic function internationally include “Nunca Mas” (Never Again) - documentation on the human rights abuses in Argentina, borrowings from a Holocaust vocabulary by many African intellectuals, references by Black-American demands for reparations for slavery, Chinese linking of the Holocaust to the Japanese invasion memory and the Nanking massacre, etc. (Levy and Sznaider 2004, 156). The above listed examples only illustrate the fact that the Holocaust memory is a concept that has been dislocated from time and space and used internationally to dramatize and compare it with any act of injustice, crime or racism in other countries or among other nations (Levy and Sznaider 2004). One more example of the international reference to the past and specifically to the commemorating of the Holocaust is the Holocaust commemoration in Britain, namely, the Holocaust Memorial Day with the considerable number of acts of museumisation and commemoration in relation to this tragedy (Littler, 1972-; Naidoo, 1965). Armenian Holocaust versus Jewish Holocaust As it has been discussed above, the Jewish Holocaust commemoration and remembrance efforts have reached global scales due to various factors of influence and through the different ways and communication channels. However, there is another significant historical genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust, which is much less known and widely commemorated. Comparing these two genocides there can be found many similarities. The Armenian Holocaust was the event that preceded the Jews Holocaust; it was carried out by Turks during and after the World War I, while, the Jewish Holocaust – by Germans before the World War II (Media Watch 2010). The other elements of convergence of two cases include: the conceptual framework (an intergroup conflict with a history of growth and escalation); the historical ballast of persecution; the ramification of a minority status; similarity of procedure adopted aimed at amplifying of the power (suspension of the parliament, introduction of a system of temporary laws, launch of the program of massive arrests of intellectuals, leaders, political activists, and educators, extirpation and executions (Dadrian, 2004). However, there was also one big difference between these two holocausts: “Germans have been held to account for their misdeeds while the Turks have literally got away with murder” (Media Watch 2010, 20). Discussion While it might seem from the first look that the case of the Armenian Holocaust is not relevant for discussion in this research, it raises certain arguments for discussion of the above reviewed theories of cosmopolitan memory and global movements “Never again”. While there is no doubts the combination of all factors (including cosmopolitan memory, globalization, international defense of human rights, and trauma drama history) have influenced on the way the commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust has been developing, there is still some misunderstanding of why the Jewish Holocaust is known worldwide and there have been made much more efforts towards its promotion and “not to forget” initiatives, while the Armenian Holocaust is much less known and doesn’t have such international memory as the Jewish Holocaust has. There are not many people who have association with the Armenian Holocaust when they hear the word “Holocaust”. Of course, hardly any country or nation would think about Armenians or Jews during the war period due to national identity factor. However, several decades later the global community could talk more about the Armenian Holocaust and thus to increase commemoration and remembrance levels. In my point of view, the political factor transferred to the mass media channels plays the most critical role here. Conclusion Commemoration of the Holocaust attained larger interest only during the last few decades. While there are different opinions of why the Holocaust had lower level of interest earlier, the factor of national identity among other nations during the war period is perceived as an important one. Based on the research carried out there was drawn a conclusion that there is not sole factor that raised public awareness of the Holocaust. It is the combination of different reasons that made the Holocaust a focus of public commemoration and remembrance. Transition from national to cosmopolitan memory cultures should be considered as one of these factors. The Holocaust during the WWII has removed ethnic and national boundaries and accelerated the formation of transnational cosmopolitan memory cultures. However, despite the increasing global awareness and remembrance of the Holocaust, there still are kept certain local sensibilities in every country. Another factor defined was the traumatic effect of the Holocaust as the Holocaust has been transformed from traumatic event for delimited particular group to traumatic event for all global community over the last five decades. Raising people’s awareness with a key focus made on the trauma drama might is viewed as an effective instrument for ensuring that this will never happen again. The next factor came out logically from the previous one and was explained as the proliferation of human rights. Holocaust as a specific historical event filled with racial and ethnic hatred, war, and violence became an epochal break which gave birth to a moral consensus about human rights consolidated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To support some of the above listed arguments there were included to the research some of the examples that illustrated the fact that the Holocaust memory as a concept has been dislocated from time and space and used internationally. In order to contrast the and develop greater debates there was reviewed the history of the Armenian Holocaust and compared with the Jewish Holocaust. There were defined some significant similarities between two genocides and this allowed further discussion. There was drawn a conclusion that the combination of all factors (including cosmopolitan memory, globalization, international defense of human rights, and trauma drama history) have influenced on the way the commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust has been developing, however there is still need of further research of why the Jewish Holocaust is known worldwide and there have been made much more efforts towards its promotion and “not to forget” initiatives, while the Armenian Holocaust is much less known and doesn’t have such international memory as the Jewish Holocaust has. 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