Severed Voices: Radio and the Mediation of Trauma in the Eichmann Trial

This essay considers the role of the radio in the mediation of trauma during the 1961 Eichmann trial. It is argued that radio broadcasts from the courtroom occasioned a transformation in the status of Holocaust survivors in Israel, who had been previously seen as deeply traumatized, unable or unwill...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public culture 2010-07, Vol.22 (2), p.265-291
Main Authors: Pinchevski, Amit, Liebes, Tamar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Studies
Eichmann, Adolf
Holocaust
Interviews
Israel
Litigation
Mass Media Effects
Media
Public sphere
Radio
Radio broadcasting
Social Theory
Sociology
Trauma
Trials
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This essay considers the role of the radio in the mediation of trauma during the 1961 Eichmann trial. It is argued that radio broadcasts from the courtroom occasioned a transformation in the status of Holocaust survivors in Israel, who had been previously seen as deeply traumatized, unable or unwilling to speak about their experiences. Taking to the airwaves facilitated a shift in the conditions by which survivors' testimonies could find public articulation. As such, the Eichmann trial provides a compelling case of the significance of media in transforming private traumas into a collective or cultural trauma.
ISSN:0899-2363
1527-8018
DOI:10.1215/08992363-2009-028