Media and Mental Representations of the Holocaust
For the identity of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Holocaust is a central point of reference. To keep up the memory of the persecution and mass murder of Jews is a defined socio-political goal. Therewith, media and especially television play a significant role. The project concept was developed over the last months, funding will be applied for at the German Research Foundation (DFG). Its initial point is the question how the forms of presentation of the Holocaust on television, which can be observed in different historic phases are reflected in the perceptions of people.
Thereby attention is put on the presentation of contemporary witnesses, who in many productions are used as authentic mediators of history and who provide a certain context of the morality of memory to the presentation.
The project is structured in an interdisciplinary way: with an eye on the offerings the change in media performances by contemporary witnesses will be analysed (analyses of programmes and paratexts; guideline interviews with producers and contemporary witnesses). Looking at recipients, the memories of different generations of Holocaust presentations in the media will be examined (group discussions and media-biographical interviews).
Through the combined view on the intentional design and reception of Holocaust presentations, the project gives information on the role of media and especially television for the long-term development of collectively shared perceptions and memories and at the same time provides an analysis of the communicative negotiation of moral markers of remembrance.
Lectures
"Medial and Mental Representations of the Holocaust - Reflections on the Interplay of Mediated History and Individual and Collective Memory", tald by J. Finger and H.-U. Wagner at the XXIVst Conference of the International Association of Media History in Copenhagen on 16 July 2011.
"Mass Media and Autobiography - The Media Biographical Method as a Method of Media Effects Research", talk by J. Finger at the "1st International Conference Landscapes of the Self" in Evora, Portugal on 26 November 2010.
"Reconstructions of Long-Term Media Effects - Investigating Holocaust-Related Attitudes", talk by J. Finger at the 3rd European Communication Conference in Hamburg on 15 October 2010.
"Medien und kollektives Gedächtnis" [Media and Collective Memory], workshop by J. Finger, H.-U. Wagner and U. Hasebrink at the Summer School „Film, Fernsehen, Internet. Kulturwissenschaftliche Rezeptionsforschung“ [Film, Television, Internet. Reception Research in Cultural Studies] of the Institute of Media and Communication at the University of Hamburg on 28 July 2009.
"Den Holocaust fernsehen – Eine qualitative Studie zur Bedeutung des Fernsehens für die Herausbildung von Rezipientenvorstellungen" [Watching the Holocaust on TV – a Qualitative Study on the Meaning of Television for the Evolvement of Recipients' Perceptions], lecture by J. Finger at the "Doc’s Day" at the University of Hamburg on 11 July 2009.
"Witnessing - Zur Konstruktion von Zeitzeugen" [Witnessing - On the Construction of Contemporary Witnesses], lecture by H.-U. Wagner at the workshop of the DFG project „Medialität und Modernität im NS-Kino“ at the Warburg House of the University of Hamburg on 27 May 2009.
"Media Witnessing. Reflections on a User-oriented Approach to Long-term Media Effects“, lecture by H.-U. Wagner and J. Finger at the "International Bergen-Belsen Conference“ on the topic of "Witnessing: Sites of Destruction and the Representation of the Holocaust“ in Bergen-Belsen on 12 January 2009.
“Relating Media Witnessing”, discussion paper by H.-U. Wagner at the research symposium “Witnessing. Cultural Roots, Media-Related Forms and Cultural Memory” in the Villa Vigoni, Loveno di Menaggio, Italy from 27 to 30 April 2008.
„Rundfunk und Region – Diskussion um die Gestaltung des Rundfunks in Nordwestdeutschland 1945-1955“ [„Broadcasting and Region – Discussion about the Constitution of Broadcasting in Northern Germany 1945-1955“], lecture at the conference „Der Umgang mit den Folgen von NS-Zeit und Krieg in Niedersachsen nach 1945“ [Dealing with the Consequences of the Nazi era and the War in Lower Saxony after 1945] on 17. February 2007 in Hannover.
Contact person
Research Centre for the History of Broadcasting in Northern Germany
Universität Hamburg
Department Sprache Literatur Medien
Von-Melle-Park 6
D - 20146 Hamburg
Tel. +49 (0)40 428 38 - 27 24
Fax +49 (0)40 428 38 - 35 53