The field of Holocaust studies is broadening as the years pass. That is according to Professor Danny Magilow of University of Tennessee Knoxville, who will be the keynote speaker at Middle Tennessee State University’s Holocaust Studies Conference. He says he will attempt to map out some of the directions in which the field is moving. “One of my arguments is that Holocaust Studies is so interdisciplinary that you’ll get different answers to the ‘Where’s the field going?’ question depending on whether you ask a Holocaust historian, a scholar of Holocaust literature, a sociologist, a scholar of Holocaust film, etc.”
The biannual conference is scheduled for March 6-7 and is an interdisciplinary event that brings together scholars from diverse fields of study.
This year’s theme, Examining Holocaust Studies in our World today will also investigate how the topic is resonating with today’s students. Magilow says he plans to share trends in Holocaust research today, ‘I’m drawing extensively on my experience as one of the Co-Editors-in-Chief of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s academic journal, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and specifically, some of the special issues that we currently have in the pipeline, which demonstrate some of the diverse questions and interests that are currently driving research, such as digital humanities, history of emotions, photography, etc.”
Dr. Elyce Helford, professor of English at MTSU and the director of the Holocaust Studies minor, is currently teaching a class on literature and the Holocaust. She says her students are asking some new questions. “I’m finding the students are gravitating towards and sometimes commenting directly on fears about antisemitism and neo-Nazism.”
She says students referenced Elon Musk’s perceived Nazi salute, and the discussion of Guantanamo Bay prison as a concentration camp. And while she currently only has one Jewish student, she says they are all concerned about the resurgence of antisemitism. Also top of mind for students is the concept of Holocaust denial. She says, “It’s the idea that you don’t have to say it didn’t happen. But you can simply have that one little question, that one audience member who says, ‘Well do you think the numbers might be a little exaggerated?’ And they’re very interested in that as part of studying the history and literature.”
Dr. Ashley Valanzola is a professor of history at MTSU, and the conference chair. She says while the years since the Holocaust are obviously growing longer, for historians it is still considered a recent event. To keep the topic alive and relevant for today’s students, she says, “I have them focus on the individual in what happened. That means they’re looking at oral history testimonies, they’re learning about one survivor in particular, they’re looking at memoirs.” She adds that her students recognize the relevance and importance of studying the Holocaust in today’s world. “They don’t shy away from contemporary politics or the rise of the Far Right, or episodes of Holocaust denial. They’re ready to engage in a way that makes me a bit hopeful.”
In addition to unpacking the lessons of the Holocaust during the conference, Helford says there is also a focus on commemoration. “It’s another central issue. How do we commemorate? How do we honor? How do we memorialize?” She says there is usually at least one presentation dealing with museums, public history, and literature. “I do that with my classes. Elie Weisel was extremely aware that there would be a time when the survivors had passed. He wrote and spoke about it. And my students understand that his writings is his voice.”
In addition to Magilow’s keynote, there will be panels focused on topics ranging from Holocaust memory and literature to a look at geographic areas like Poland. And there is one special panel that will investigate archival materials. Helford says, “It will be held in our special collections library. And we will feature our special collections historian Laura Cochran, and Leona Fleischer, community archivist for the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.” She adds that the day before the conference, the Tennessee Holocaust Commission will present a session aimed at students seeking secondary school licensures.
The keynote event is open to the public as a stand-alone event on March 6 at 1pm in the MTSU Student Union Ballroom. Information about it and the full conference schedule can be found at https://holocaust-studies.mtsu.edu/conference/, or by emailing Dr. Valenzola at ashley.valanzola@mtsu.edu
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