ONLINE: A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.
The Past is Not Even Past: The Aftermath of the Holocaust
“The past is never dead. It is not even past,” said American novelist William Faulkner. Rather than recounting the WW2 Holocaust itself, we will look at the aftermath: especially the contention over the meanings, myths, and interpretations of the Holocaust from 1945 to the present. How and why have perceptions about the Holocaust changed sharply over the years? Topics include the fate of survivors and perpetrators, Displaced Persons camps and immigration, the creation of Israel, a UN convention on genocide, perceptions and attitudes in the two Germanys (now one), and in Sovietised eastern Europe as well as North America, the Eichmann and other trials, Mideast politics, competing victimhoods, and, finally, current controversies in Europe, particularly Poland and the Baltics. What we call history is often a highly contested ground based on competing political agendas and new perspectives. Gene Homel has taught history and politics since 1973 at universities and colleges in Ontario and British Columbia. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and has written and presented extensively on history and culture.