• Split Memory: The Geography of Holocaust Memory and Amnesia in Belarus

    Author(s):
    Anika Walke (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Group(s):
    Holocaust history, Soviet and Russian history and culture
    Subject(s):
    Jewish Holocaust (1939-1945), Memory--Study and teaching, Place (Philosophy), Space, Belarus, Memory
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Holocaust studies, Memory studies, Space and place, Holocaust
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M69G5GC9Q
    Abstract:
    The remote location of Beshankovichy's mass grave for Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide reflects the exclusion of local Jews during the German occupation of Soviet territories and limits their memory to a few knowledgeable survivors and witnesses. In contrast, local commemorative practices focus on memorials for Soviet soldiers, partisans, and their aides. The paper reveals an incongruence of the place of historical experience on the one hand, and the locale of popular commemoration on the other, highlighting the impact of the Holocaust in Belarus to destroy Jewish history and its memory. The spatial division reflects the trauma of loss as much as shame for local participation in the mass murder. Drawing on oral histories, archival materials, and field visits, the study builds on a growing field of scholarship on the role of space and place in the construction of memories and identities in the aftermath of atrocity and trauma to discuss the geographical dimensions of memory and amnesia.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    https://doi.org/10.1017/slr.2018.15
    Publisher:
    Cambridge
    Pub. Date:
    April 2018
    Journal:
    Slavic Review
    Volume:
    77
    Issue:
    1
    Page Range:
    174- - 197
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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