Split Memory: The Geography of Holocaust Memory and Amnesia in Belarus

The remote location of Beshankovichy's mass grave for Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide reflects the exclusion of local Jews during the German occupation of Soviet territories and limits their memory to a few knowledgeable survivors and witnesses. In contrast, local commemorative practices fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Slavic review 2018, Vol.77 (1), p.174-197
Main Author: Walke, Anika
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aftermath
Amnesia
Armed forces
Atrocities
Commemoration
Divisions
Forests
Genocide
Geography
Holocaust
Jewish people
Mass murders
Massacres
Memorials
Memories
Memory
Memory disorders
Military personnel
Murders & murder attempts
Nazi era
Participation
Psychological trauma
Scholarship
Shame
Society
Soldiers
Space
Trauma
Victims
Violence
Witnesses
World War II
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Description
Summary:The remote location of Beshankovichy's mass grave for Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide reflects the exclusion of local Jews during the German occupation of Soviet territories and limits their memory to a few knowledgeable survivors and witnesses. In contrast, local commemorative practices focus on memorials for Soviet soldiers, partisans, and their aides. The paper reveals an incongruence of the place of historical experience on the one hand, and the locale of popular commemoration on the other, highlighting the impact of the Holocaust in Belarus to destroy Jewish history and its memory. The spatial division reflects the trauma of loss as much as shame for local participation in the mass murder. Drawing on oral histories, archival materials, and field visits, the study builds on a growing field of scholarship on the role of space and place in the construction of memories and identities in the aftermath of atrocity and trauma to discuss the geographical dimensions of memory and amnesia.
ISSN:0037-6779
2325-7784
DOI:10.1017/slr.2018.15