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Holocaust Diaries and Memoirs: A Challenge for Historians
| With all the scholarly and popular discussion on Holocaust memory, it is rather odd that, with very few notable exceptions, the use of personal accounts in the writing of Holocaust history is uncommon. In my presentation, I intend to probe the reasons for the reluctance of historians to make use of personal accounts in the writing of Holocaust history, and to reflect upon its possible impact upon the future of Holocaust memory. Conceptual and methodological issues rooted at the nature of the historical discipline and the event itself shall be the focus for reflection on these themes. Among them: fact versus fiction, documentary versus literary narrative; first person versus collective accounts; mistrust of memory engendered by trauma versus trust of distanced observers. If it is assumed that we live only as long as the living remembers us, how we acknowledge the victims' personal accounts and incorporate them into historical writings will also be addressed as significant issues to the future form and content of Holocaust memory.
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