Holocaust Public Memory in Postcommunist Romania PDF

Summary

“An excellent analysis of the slow, but steady, evolution of Romania from heavy Holocaust denial . . . toward a fair confrontation of its tragic past.” —Radu Ioanid, author of The Holocaust in Romania

How is the Holocaust remembered in Romania since the fall of communism? Alexandru Florian and an international group of contributors unveil how and why Romania, a place where large segments of the Jewish and Roma populations perished, still fails to address its recent past. These essays focus on the roles of government and public actors that choose to promote, construct, defend, or contest the memory of the Holocaust, as well as the tools—the press, the media, monuments, and commemorations—that create public memory. Coming from a variety of perspectives, these essays provide a compelling view of what memories exist, how they are sustained, how they can be distorted, and how public remembrance of the Holocaust can be encouraged in Romanian society today.

“While positive changes have taken place, a large gap exists between the historical facts and public knowledge about Romania and the Holocaust. This volume offers a fresh and nuanced understanding of the conte...

Chapter List (17 chapters):

• Chapter 1: Cover
• Chapter 2: Title Page
• Chapter 3: Copyright
• Chapter 4: Contents
• Chapter 5: List of Abbreviations
• Chapter 6: Memory under Construction: Introductory Remarks
• Chapter 7: Part I. Competing Memories and Historical Obfuscation
• Chapter 8: 1 Ethnocentric Mindscapes and Mnemonic Myopia
• Chapter 9: 2 Postcommunist Romania’s Leading Public Intellectuals and the Holocaust
• Chapter 10: 3 Law, Justice, and Holocaust Memory in Romania
• Chapter 11: 4 Romania: Neither “Fleishig” nor “Milchig”: A Comparative Study
• Chapter 12: 5 “Wanting-Not-to-Know” about the Holocaust in Romania: A Wind of Change?
• Chapter 13: Part II. National Heroes, Outstanding Intellectuals, or Holocaust Perpetrators?
• Chapter 14: 6 Mircea Vulcănescu, a Controversial Case: Outstanding Intellectual or War Criminal?
• Chapter 15: 7 Ion Antonescu’s Image in Postcommunist Historiography
• Chapter 16: 8 Rethinking Perpetrators, Bystanders, Helpers/Rescuers, and Victims: A Case Study of Students’ Perceptions
• Chapter 17: Index

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