Holocaust kitsch? Uses and misuses of the Holocaust in popular culture - Einzelansicht

The course proposes a closer look at “Holocaust kitsch”: various forms of literary, cinematic and artistic representations of the Holocaust and other genocides that may be considered tasteless, vulgar, pretentious, banal, or low. We will discuss the phenomenon of “inappropriate images” of the Holocaust from a historical perspective: from the “Stalag” exploitation novels that were popular in Israel in the 1950s, through controversies over the TV series Holocaust (1978), the blockbuster Schindler’s List (1993) or comedy Life is Beautiful (1997), to the more recent phenomena, such as the novels “from Auschwitz”, perpetrator fiction or alternate history dramas like the TV series Hunters (2020). The course asks what is at stake when we deem something “kitschy”. Is it a statement about aesthetics or rather ethics? Is it a residue of classist mindset or are there limits to how atrocities may be represented? How important is historical accuracy? We will also try to understand what political gains may be in (ab)uses of the Holocaust in popular culture now, especially in the context of East and Central Europe. How do films about Poles saving Jews help Polish right-wing populist parties secure their votes? How does the TV series Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter (2013) allow Germans to feel better about their past? How do romance novels based in Auschwitz and perpetrator fiction support conservative and anti-gender politics now?

Students are expected to participate actively in the classes as well as to prepare a presentation (Referat) on a selected topic and/or to submit written papers for discussion (Thesenpapier).

Working language: English

für 3 LP: ein Referat oder drei Thesenpapiere
für 4 LP: ein Referat und ein Thesenpapier
für 5 LP: eine Referat und zwei Thesenpapiere