Crossing Borders: Conceptualising National Exhibitions as Contested Spaces of Holocaust Memory at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Rationale
2.1. Context
2.2. Visiting the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum
2.3. The National Exhibitions as Contested Space(s) of Holocaust Memory
3. Methodology
4. Findings
Themes
- Theme 1: Entry points
- Theme 2: Pre-war life
- Theme 3: Life under occupation
- Theme 4: Deportation and the camps
- Theme 5: Liberation, post-war, and commemoration
5. Reflecting on the Visitor Experience
Discussion
6. Conclusions
6.1. Educational Implications
- An acknowledgement that the topic of the Holocaust is a ‘contested space’ [44] and that the complexity of differing memory narratives (such as those in Blocks 20 and 21) have the potential to add richness to students’ developing understandings.
- A recognition that ignoring such complexities—to literally walk past these blocks—does a disservice to their students, and to the various actors within the Holocaust narrative. Doing so risks students being presented with ‘a partial narrative’ [48] (p. 182), lacking in necessary complexity or nuance.
6.2. International Implications
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Richardson, A. Crossing Borders: Conceptualising National Exhibitions as Contested Spaces of Holocaust Memory at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum. Educ. Sci. 2023, 13, 703. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070703
Richardson A. Crossing Borders: Conceptualising National Exhibitions as Contested Spaces of Holocaust Memory at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum. Education Sciences. 2023; 13(7):703. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070703
Chicago/Turabian StyleRichardson, Alasdair. 2023. "Crossing Borders: Conceptualising National Exhibitions as Contested Spaces of Holocaust Memory at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum" Education Sciences 13, no. 7: 703. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070703
APA StyleRichardson, A. (2023). Crossing Borders: Conceptualising National Exhibitions as Contested Spaces of Holocaust Memory at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum. Education Sciences, 13(7), 703. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070703