Language:
English
Year of publication:
2001
Titel der Quelle:
Journal of Modern History
Angaben zur Quelle:
73,2 (2001) 333-358
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Reparations
Abstract:
Demands for reparations for historical injustices have been proliferating worldwide. In this process, the Holocaust is regarded as a standard for judging the seriousness of past injustices and as a template for claiming compensation. The worldwide spread of the idea to indemnify groups that have suffered has its roots in postwar responses to the genocide of the Jews. The world has seen the emergence of a broader "consciousness of catastrophe" that is rooted in Holocaust awareness. Admits that the "proliferation of holocausts" inflates the term and undermines the notion of uniqueness of the Nazi genocide, but it also encourages awareness of other catastrophes. In particular, it highlights historical misdeeds based on racial grounds. In the post-utopian age, having lost any plausible vision of a better society, the world community seeks instead to "make whole what has been smashed"; "reparations politics" is an expression of this tendency, and the canonization of the Holocaust as the "true emblem" of the century has been essential here.
Note:
With the Holocaust as a standard and model.
URL:
Locate this publication in Israeli libraries
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