HIS2319 – Inventing Mass Extermination. The Holocaust and Genocidal Policies in the Twentieth Century

Course content

The course provides an introduction to a field which has recently come to be known as Comparative Genocide Studies, with a clear focus on the destruction of the European Jews by Nazi Germany. It will cover various protagonists in the Holocaust, not only perpetrators but also victims, bystanders, and collaborators, as well as a range of contexts in which mass extermination took place. Ideological prerequisites which fueled mass murder will figure alongside the post-war attempts to tackle the crimes by judicial means. With this basis established, a comparative perspective will be assumed by looking into other (modern) cases of mass extermination - from the murder of Turkish Armenians to the so-called ethnic cleansing during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s - which have been labelled genocides.

The course has two agendas. First, it will provide a firm empirical basis and understanding of the Holocaust as well as of its historiography. Second, by shedding light on other case studies, the relative merits of categories such as ‘genocide’ will be explored, and the question of political implications of terminology and definitions shall be discussed. The course will also look at its subject from different methodological angles. Standard textual sources will be employed along with audio and various visual materials; the ‘history of events’ will be accompanied by analysis of representations and discursive practices.

Learning outcome

Students are expected to:

  • Acquire a sound understanding of the Holocaust, its protagonists and dynamics, as well as its historiography.
  • Reflect on the analytical and political implications of terminology such as ‘genocide’ and differentiate between various usages.
  • Compare different ‘genocides’ and discuss the merits of such comparative perspectives.
  • Develop methodological skills to deal with a broad array of source materials.
  • Develop skills to critically research, read, discuss, and write about a set of historiographical arguments and a variety of historical evidence.

Admission to the course

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30 credits in humanities or social sciences.

A good ability to read, understand and write English is required for this course.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

Teaching will