Language:
English
Year of publication:
2020
Titel der Quelle:
The Journal of Holocaust Research
Angaben zur Quelle:
34,3 (2020) 175-197
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Personal narratives
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Moral and ethical aspects
;
Nazi concentration camps
;
Nazi concentration camp inmates Social conditions
;
Nazi concentration camp inmates Psychology
Abstract:
The phenomenon Muselmann was a peculiarity of Nazi concentration camps. In survivor’s testimonies, the term appears frequently enough to assume that it denotes a particular, commonly recognized category of prisoners. It was probably the only category that was not defined by the Nazis’ system of triangle badges and functions. Instead, the prisoner community called specific prisoners Muselmann. In nearly every NS concentration camp, prisoners labeled their weakest fellows with a racist term and located them at the bottom of the hierarchy. My research explores the moral dimension of this label. Introducing Moral Foundations Theory to the topic, I map the domain of morality in NS concentration camps as presented by Auschwitz-Birkenau and Mauthausen survivors when they speak or write about Muselmänner. My analysis deepens the understanding of the relationship between Muselmänner and other prisoners. Engaging in moral history or history of morality, it offers a fresh perspective on the functioning of prisoners’ society in NS concentration camps. Doing so, it contributes to the discourse on stability and change of normative morality in extreme situations.
DOI:
10.1080/25785648.2020.1785671
URL:
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