We are pleased to invite you to the online workshop Narrating the Past. Testimonies Between Personal Memory and Historical Research, which will take place on June 5, 2025, 4–7 p.m. CET online via Zoom.
Please register by e‑mail at redaktion@selbstzeugnisse-revisited.de by June 3, 2025, to receive the meeting link.
The history of persecution is still largely reconstructed through documents produced by the perpetrators. These documents offer insight into the planning and execution of persecution. However, as the historiography on the Holocaust has demonstrated in the recent decades, it is not sufficient to base the history of persecution solely on perpetrator sources. This change of perspective is closely connected with the concept of an “integrated history” developed by the historian Saul Friedländer. According to Friedländer, the history of the Holocaust cannot be restricted to German decisions and actions but must also take into account the initiatives and reactions of the affected individuals and groups themselves. Personal accounts of persecuted people are key to such an approach. Incorporating ego-documents into the historical research of persecution offers an opportunity to better understand the individual experiences and actions of the victims. This includes, for example, their perceptions and emotions as well as their everyday lives, but also their agency and resistant behavior.
This workshop will explore a range of case studies and engage with critical questions about the use of ego-documents in historical research. Topics will include their interpretation, archival practices, and methods of presentation.
The workshop is organized by Selbstzeugnisse revisited e.V. with financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
You can view the full program here.