How This Was Possible: Interpreting the Holocaust

Moral exclusion occurs when individuals or groups are seen as outside the boundary in which moral values, rules, and considerations of fairness apply. It can render violence and injustice normal and acceptable. This talk describes research conducted at the House of Wannsee Conference, a cultural ins...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social issues 2011-03, Vol.67 (1), p.205-224
Main Author: Opotow, Susan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Borders
Boundaries
Congresses and Conventions
Ethics
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Gestalt Psychology
Holocaust
Jews
Knowledge
Participation
Psychologists
Psychology
Social conditions & trends
Torture
Values
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Summary:Moral exclusion occurs when individuals or groups are seen as outside the boundary in which moral values, rules, and considerations of fairness apply. It can render violence and injustice normal and acceptable. This talk describes research conducted at the House of Wannsee Conference, a cultural institution near Berlin, where the liquidation of Europe's Jews was planned in 1942. Now a commemorative site and education center, this institution's interpretive strategies increase visitors’ knowledge about past exclusionary processes. The House of Wannsee's interpretive strategies emphasize the role of occupational groups in society. Consistent with that focus, this talk discusses psychology at two points in time: Gestalt psychology, which flourished in Germany from 1920 to 1933, and psychology from 2002 to the present in light of contemporary concerns about psychologists’ involvement in detention and torture.
ISSN:0022-4537
1540-4560
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2010.01694.x