Rhetorical Vectors Of Memory In National And International Holocaust Trials (Rhetoric & Public Affairs)

Features of Rhetorical Vectors of Memory in National and International Holocaust Trials (Rhetoric & Public Affairs)

During the past several decades the twentieth century Holocaust has become a defining event in many histories This newfound respect for the Judeocide has been cathartic for both individuals and communities in that it provides evidence that audiences around the world are rethinking the significance of the World War II narratives of bystanders perpetrators and victims Given the complexities of these issues scholars who are interested in studying Holocaust memory make choices about the questions on which they focus the artifacts they select for analysis and the perspectives they want to presentHasian reviews how national and international courts have used Holocaust trials as forums for debates about individuated justice historical record keeping and pedagogical memory work He concludes that the trials involving Auschwitz Demjanjuk Eichmann Finta Nuremberg Irving Kastner Keegstra Sawoniuk and Zndel are highly problematic The author provides a rhetorical analysis of holocaust trials as a way of looking into the question of what role court proceedings play in the creation of Holocaust collective memories