![Sample our Humanities journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5939/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Humanities.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Our study will turn to one Jewish male Holocuast survivor who visited ten high schools in Germany from January to March 2020. Based on the results of empirical and theoretical considerations of testifying, a communicative model was considered appropriate for understanding the encounter. Of special concern was to what extent trustworthiness was constructed during these talks by students. A mixed methods approach was chosen, combining testimony analysis with empirical tools in social science. The result of the study points to the students’ trust in the survivor story, which is supported by the school institution and by the survivor’s narration, his rhetorical strategies, and his personality.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Cf. Richardson, “Touching distance,” 16.
2 Cf. Schreiber, “Zeitzeugengespräche führen und auswerten.”
3 Cf. Hogervorst, “The era of the user,” 169.
4 Cf. Drecoll, Schaarschmidt and Zündorf, “Authentizität als Kapital historischer Orte?,” 7.
5 Cf. Assmann, Erinnerungsräume, 411.
6 Cf. Duchin and Wieseman, “Memoirs of child survivors of the Holocaust,” 284.
7 Cf. Hirsch, “The Generation of Postmemory.”
8 Cf. Matthäus, “Kauen (Kaunas) – Stammlager,” 191.
9 Cf. Distel, “Öffentliches Sterben.”
10 Cf. Raim, Überlebende von Kaufering.
11 Cf. Laub and Bodenstab, “Wiederbefragt,” 306.
12 Cf. Ballis, “With a little antisemitism, you could live!.”
13 Cf. Greenspan, On Listening to Holocaust Survivors, 209.
14 Cf. Meseth and Proske, “Mind the gap,” 177.
15 Cf. Neiman, Von den Deutschen lernen, 40f.
16 Cf. Rathenow and Weber, “Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust in Gesellschaft, Staat und Erziehung.”
17 Cf. Zifonun, “Heilsame Wunden,” 194.
18 Cf. Sekretariat der Ständigen Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder in der Bundesrepublik, Unterricht über Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust.
19 Cf. Sekretariat der Ständigen Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder in der Bundesrepublik, Remembering our past for our future. Recommendations for a culture of remembrance to form an object of historical and political education in schools.
20 Cf. Meilhammer and Matthes, “Holocaust Education in der Migrationsgesellschaft,” 204.
21 Cf. Friedländer, Erzählen, Erklären.
22 Cf. Wieviorka, The era of the witness.
23 Cf. Meseth, Holocaust-Erziehung und Zeitzeugen.
24 Cf. Sigel, “Schulische Bildung und ihre Bedeutung für die Gedenkstättenpädagogik,” 54.
25 Cf. Gansewig and Walsh, “Zeitzeugen in der schulischen Bildungsarbeit,” 517.
26 Cf. Sabrow, “Der Zeitzeuge als Wanderer zwischen zwei Welten,” 29.
27 Cf. Meseth, Holocaust-Erziehung und Zeitzeugen.
28 Cf. Wehling, “Konsens à la Beutelsbach?”
29 Cf. Knothe and Broll, “ … und es war wirklich stecknadelruhig”, 136f.
30 Cf. Stevick, “Teaching the Holocaust,” 221.
31 Cf. Langer, Cisneros and Kühner, “Aktuelle Herausforderungen der schulischen Thematisierung von Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust.”
32 Cf. Adorno, “Erziehung nach Auschwitz.”
33 Cf. Obens and Geißler-Jagodzinski, “Historisches Lernen im Zeitzeugengespräch.”
34 Cf. Demmer, “Artefakte und Wissensformen in biografischen Selbstpräsentationen von Zeitzeug_innen.”
35 Cf. König, “Pädagogisches Moralisieren nach Auschwitz,” 146f.
36 Cf. Steffek, 'Reden wir nicht mehr davon … '.
37 Cf. Galda, “Geschichtsbewusstsein, historisches Wissen und Interesse,” 234.
38 Cf. Feldmann-Wojtachnia and Hofmann, Erinnern, begegnen, Zukunft gestalten, 6–8.
39 Cf. Bertram, Zeitzeugen im Geschichtsunterricht, 43f.
40 Cf. Bertram, Wagner and Trautwein, “Learning historical thinking with oral history interviews, 477.”
41 Cf. Meibauer, Pragmatik: Eine Einführung, 86.
42 Cf. Austin, How to do things with words, 164.
43 Cf. Blasberg, “Zeugenschaft,” 21.
44 Cf. Fricker, “Group Testimony?,” 253f. Cf. Michaelis, Erzählräume nach Auschwitz, 28.
45 Cf. Klüger, Ruth. Still Alive, 94. Cf. Greenspan, “The Humanities of Contingency.”
46 Cf. Sell, “Wahrheitsbedingungen digitaler Zeugenschaft,” 214. Cf. Fricker, “Group Testimony?,” 250. Krämer, Medium, Bote, Übertragung, 254.
47 Cf. Lörincz, Zeugnisgaben der Literatur, 34.
48 Cf. Schmidt, “Sein Wort geben,” 196.
49 Cf. Celan, Die Gedichte, 198. Cf. Baer, Niemand zeugt für den Zeugen.
50 Cf. Schmidt, “Sein Wort geben,” 13.
51 Cf. Krämer, Medium, Bote, Übertragung, 255. Cf. Schmidt, “Sein Wort geben,” 75.
52 Cf. Beim and Fine, “Trust in testimony,” 61.
53 Cf. Ibid., 61f.
54 Cf. Feuchert, ‘Der ethische Pakt' und die ‘Gedächtnisagentur Literaturwissenschaft'.
55 Cf. Krämer, Schmidt and Schülein, “Zeugenschaft als philosophisches Problem,” 17.
56 Cf. Capurro, “Theorie der Botschaft,” 47f.
57 Cf. Sell, “Wahrheitsbedingungen digitaler Zeugenschaft,” 214.
58 Cf. Wierling, “Zeitgeschichte ohne Zeitzeugen,” 31.
59 Cf. Krämer, Medium, Bote, Übertragung, 252.
60 Cf. Mees, Die Struktur der Emotionen.
61 Cf. Frederking et al., “Emotionale Facetten literarischen Verstehens und ästhetischer Erfahrung.”
62 Cf. Winko, “Über Regeln emotionaler Bedeutung in und von literarischen Texten,” 339.
63 Cf. Beim and Fine, “Trust in testimony,” 67.
64 Cf. Frederking et al., “Emotionale Facetten literarischen Verstehens und ästhetischer Erfahrung.”
65 Cf. Krieg, “Who Wants to Be Sad Over and Over Again?,” 124.
66 Cf. Sell, “Wahrheitsbedingungen digitaler Zeugenschaft.” Cf. Fricker, “Group Testimony?”
67 Cf. Luhmann, Soziale Systeme, 196.
68 Cf. Dotson, “Tracking Epistemic Violence, Tracking Practices of Silencing,” 251.
69 Cf. Ibid., 245.
70 Cf. Gryglewski, “Didaktische Ansätze der Gedenkstättenarbeit in der diversen Gesellschaft.”
71 Cf. Reichertz, Kommunikationsmacht. Cf. Peters, Speaking into the Air.
72 Cf. Creswell and Zhang, “The application of mixed methods desgin to trauma research.”
73 Cf. Creswell, A Concise Introduction to Mixed-Methodes Research.
74 Cf. Flick, Introducing Research Methodology.
75 Cf. Ibid.
76 Cf. Ibid.
77 Cf. Ibid.
78 Cf. Kuckartz, Mixed Methods.
79 Cf. Nunan and Bailey, “Case Study Research,” 166f.
80 Cf. Flick, Introducing Research Methodology.
81 Cf. Ibid.
82 Cf. Peter, “Ethnographie im Modus der Zeugenschaft.”
83 Cf. Flick, Introducing Research Methodology.
84 Cf. Riemer, “Befragung,” 157.
85 Cf. Porst, Fragebogen, 142f.
86 Cf. Völkl and Korb, “Deskriptive Statistik,” 20.
87 Cf. Riemer, “Befragung,” 161.
88 Cf. Porst, Fragebogen, 22.
89 Cf. Helfferich, “Leitfaden- und Experteninterviews.”
90 Cf. Selting et al., “Gesprächsanalytisches Transkriptionssystem 2.”
91 Cf. Giesecke and Welzer, Das Menschenmögliche, 9. Cf. Richardson, “Touching distance,” 5.
92 Cf. Keilbach, “Mikrofone, Videotape, Datenbank,” 281.
93 Cf. Eaglestone, The Holocaust and the Postmodern.
94 Cf. Ballis, “With a little antisemitism, you could live!,” 54.
95 Cf. Matthäus, “Kauen (Kaunas) – Stammlager,” 197, 202.
96 Cf. Beorn, “All the Other Neighbors.”
97 Cf. Altmann, Das Unsagbare verschweigen, 130.
98 Cf. Zemel, “Holocaust Photography and the Challenge of the Visual.”
99 Cf. Wette: Mörder der litauischen Juden, Position 246.
100 Cf. Altmann, Das Unsagbare verschweigen, 130.
101 Cf. Hirsch, “The Generation of Postmemory.”
102 Cf. Strugalla, “Holocaust Oral History – a Never Ending Story?,” 322-4.
103 Cf. Beim and Fine, “Trust in testimony,” 62.
104 Cf. Altmann, Das Unsagbare verschweigen, 128.
105 Cf. Eaglestone, The Holocaust and the Postmodern.
106 Cf. Michlic, “A Young Person’s War.”
107 Cf. Erll, Kollektives Gedächtnis und Erinnerungskulturen, 14.
108 Cf. Alavi and Popp, “Menschenrechtsbildung-Holocaust.”
109 Cf Lower, “Distant Encounter.”
110 Cf. Békés, Perry and Starrs, “Coping Action Patterns in Trauma and Other Autobiographic Narratives in Holocaust survivors,” 7.
111 Cf. Strauss and Corbin. Grounded Theory.
112 Cf. Chapman, Edwards and Goldsmith, Evaluation of The Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project – Final Report, 56.
113 Cf. Hondius, “Learning from Eyewitnesses,” 91.
114 Cf. Bertram, Zeitzeugen im Geschichstunterricht.
115 Cf. Wierling, “Zeitgeschichte ohne Zeitzeugen,” 35.
116 Cf. Altmann, Das Unsagbare verschweigen, 232.
117 Cf. Greenspan, On Listening to Holocaust Survivors.
118 Cf. Sochatzky, “Zeitzeugen im Geschichtsunterricht,” 84.
119 Cf. Lower, “Distant Encounter.”
120 Cf. Richardson, “Touching Distance,” 16.
121 Cf. Hondius, “Learning from eyewitnesses,” 87.
122 Cf. Greenspan, On Listening to Holocaust Survivors.
123 Cf. Richardson, “Touching Distance,” 8.
124 Cf. Hondius, “Learning from Eyewitnesses,” 91.
125 Cf. Wierling, Zeitgeschichte ohne Zeitzeugen, 31.
126 Cf. Reichertz, Kommunikationsmacht, 206.
127 Cf. Kolenda, “Dialogformate, Differenzerfahrung und die Chance der Frage für einen sinnkonstituierenden Unterricht,” 153.
128 Cf. Reichertz, Kommunikationsmacht, 113.
129 Cf. Luhmann, “Das Kind als Medium der Erziehung,” 21.
130 Cf. Schweber, “Making sense of the Holocaust,” 155.
131 Cf. Mößner, “Das Zeugnis anderer,” 139.
132 Cf. Gansewig and Walsh, “Zeitzeugen in der schulischen Bildungsarbeit,” 516.
133 Cf. Fricker, Epistemic injustice, 141.
134 Cf. Hondius, “Learning from eyewitnesses,” 81.
135 Cf. Steir-Livny, Is it OK to Laugh About it?, 23-5.
136 Cf. Nawratil, Glaubwürdigkeit in der sozialen Kommunikation, 73.
137 Cf. Greenspan, On Listening to Holocaust Survivors.
138 Cf. Eaglestone, The Holocaust and the Postmodern.
139 Cf. Klein, Schülerinnen und Schüler am Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas, 300.
140 Cf. Plessow, “A Quarter Century of Globalization, Differentiation, Proliferation, and Dissolution?,” 21.
141 Cf. Sell, “Wahrheitsbedingungen digitaler Zeugenschaft,” 214.
142 Cf. Fricker, Epistemic injustice, 6.
143 Cf. Meseth and Proske, “Mind the gap.”
144 Cf. Lenga, “Seeing things Differently,” 198.
145 Cf. Wieviorka, The era of the witness, 134.
146 Cf. Ballis, Barricelli and Gloe, Interaktive digitale 3-D-Zeugnisse und Holocaust Education.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Anja Ballis
Anja Ballis, PhD, professor and chair of German Language Education at the University of Munich. In her university teaching, she is responsible for teacher education. The focus of her research has been on Holocaust education, teaching with digital media, and textbook research. In her empirical studies, she uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative tools to gain insights in the field of Holocaust education. Since 2018 she has been responsible for the project ‘Learning with Digital Testimonies’ which explores the effects of interactive media on students’ learning. She is also known for her research on tour guides at Holocaust museums and memorial sites and as an editor of ‘Holocaust Education – Historical Learning – Human Rights Education’ (since 2019, Springer Science).
Lisa Schwendemann
Lisa Schwendemann, PhD, until 2020 research associate at the Chair of German Language Education at the University of Munich. She wrote her dissertation on theater projects at memorial sites. Since 2021 she works as teacher specializing in Holocaust education.