Teaching the Holocaust as part of local history: the case of Denmark

Using Denmark as a case, in The Future of Holocaust Memorialization, edited by Andrea Petö and Helga Thorson, Senior Researcher Cecilie Felicia Stokholm Banke examines the relationship between local history and the wider legacy of the Holocaust. “If the Holocaust becomes too much of a universal history lesson, there is a risk that we will lose the local aspects and, with them, the impact of these important history lessons as well”, warns Banke. In her view, the challenges that Holocaust education in Europe faces currently is how to balance the universal legacy of the Holocaust with local history of persecution, human rights violations, genocide, and political mass violence. “It may be time to readdress how to teach and learn about the Holocaust in a way that makes sense for the next generation as well.”

The Future of Holocaust Memorialization. Confronting Racism, Antisemitism, and Homophobia through Memory is edited by Andrea Petö and Helga Thorson and published by Central European University and the Tom Lantos Institute, Budapest.