Sprache:
Englisch
Erscheinungsjahr:
2021
Titel der Quelle:
S: I. M. O. N.
Angaben zur Quelle:
8,2 (2021) 38-57
Schlagwort(e):
Miška, František,
;
Theresienstadt (Concentration camp)
;
Nadace Terezinska iniciativa
;
Holocaust survivors
;
Witnesses
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), and the theater
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Public opinion
Kurzfassung:
Scholars in various areas of Holocaust studies have long debated whether and how to usesurvivor testimony as evidence regarding past events. The debate becomes even more fraughtwhen we ask whether testimony can serve as evidence of past subjective attitudes and emotional states. In this case study, I examine four narratives by a single survivor of the Terezín/Theresienstadt Ghetto, František Miška, narratives that may help answer the question: Whydid prisoners choose to engage in theatrical performances in the ghetto? I will begin by examining Miška’s 2006 testimony in the context of contemporary public discourses, and thenby comparing his testimonies from 2006, 1997, 1963, and 1948. Ultimately, I will concludethat, in a longitudinal study, the most appropriate method for testing reliability may varydepending on the period being examined. A careful reconstruction of contemporary discourse is indispensable in using testimonies from the 1940s and 1960s as evidence. Thisstudy, however, reveals that the reliability of later testimonies is more effectively establishedby comparing narratives by the same survivor across time.
DOI:
10.23777/SN.0221/ART_LPES01
URL:
Locate this publication in Israeli libraries
Permalink
