Language:
English
Year of publication:
1999
Titel der Quelle:
Western Journal of Communication
Angaben zur Quelle:
63,1 (1999) 95-114
Keywords:
Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah.
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Historiography
Abstract:
The controversy surrounding Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners" is used as a case study to examine the ideological structures at work when rhetoric, history, and collective memory intersect. Academic histories and collective memories are not antithetical concepts; together, they serve three rhetorical functions: they help create society's identities, maintain its traditions, and allow it to forget. Goldhagen's book became a bestseller in Germany because it invited readers to change their views of their own national identity, traditions, and collective memories. Goldhagen showed the limits of German "normalization, " and also showed Germans how to change their national identity. His arguments tapped into the reservoir of feelings and beliefs that existed in the collective memories of his readers. Many scholars criticized Goldhagen for his non-academic approach and style, as well as for his dangerous denigration of the Germans. Right as they are, Goldhagen's book possesses great rhetorical value.
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