A Contextual Analysis of Holocaust Oral Testimony in Britain and Canada White’s interdisciplinary thesis examines archived collections of Holocaust oral testimonies in Britain and Canada, drawing on oral history and archival science. The study highlights the importance of contextualizing oral testimonies to understand the Holocaust fully. It addresses the construction of testimonies within specific social, cultural, and archival frameworks, advocating for greater accessibility of contextual information to enhance engagement with these sources.

Mapping the Transformations of Oral Holocaust Testimony Through Time explores the changes in oral Holocaust testimonies over time, comparing interviews conducted in 1946 by psychologist David Boder with 21st-century interviews of the same subjects. Rohan’s analysis reveals a significant shift in the role of the interview subject, from being a witness to assuming the cultural role of a “Holocaust survivor.” The narrative form and content of the survivors’ testimonies evolve, reflecting the cultural functions that shape their identity as survivors today.

In the second volume’s first issue, Eastern European Holocaust Studies presents a thematic section where guest editors Malin Thor Tureby and Yurii Kaparulin examine the intersection of oral history and the Holocaust. Highlighting the pioneering work of Soviet writers Ilya Ehrenburg and Vasily Grossman with The Black Book, the journal underscores the importance of oral testimonies in understanding the Holocaust’s impact. It also emphasizes the value of archival collections, such as those at Yad Vashem and audio-visual archives like the USC Shoah Foundation and the Fortunoff Video Archive, which preserve the memoirs and testimonies that offer profound reflections on this period in history.

Testimonies in Historiography and Oral History by Achim Saupe and Helen Roche provides an overview of how testimony has been used by historians and its influence on new historiographical methods. The chapter explores different contexts—legal, moral, and practical—within which testimonies have developed. It also discusses the rise of oral history in the latter half of the twentieth century and its value and challenges when working with testimonies narrated by witnesses to historical events.

Tony Kushner’s article, “Holocaust Testimony, Ethics, and the Problem of Representation,” examines the evolution of Holocaust testimonies and their reception over time. Initially, survivor accounts were marginalised and received little interest post-war. However, there has been a shift towards recognising these testimonies, leading to extensive efforts to record survivors’ experiences. Kushner suggests that understanding the nature of ordinary people’s life histories, including their internal silences and mythologies, is crucial for scholars to do justice to the complexity and richness of Holocaust testimony.

History, Memory, and the Genre of Testimony by Aleida Assmann analiyses the new mnemo-historical genre of video testimony as an archive of trauma stories. It contrasts these with other forms of autobiographical discourse and legal testimonies, particularly under the impact of the Holocaust. The article delves into how tragedy provides insight and the value the Holocaust holds for individuals today through the importance of testimony.

The Generation of Post-Memory: Writing and Visual Culture After the Holocaust by Marianne Hirsch explores the concept of ‘post-memory,’ a term she coined to describe the relationship that the ‘generation after’ bears to the personal, collective, and cultural trauma of those who came before. The book examines how the memories of catastrophic events, like the Holocaust, are passed down to children of survivors through images, stories, behaviours, and affects within the family and culture. Hirsch provides critical readings of literary and visual legacies of the Holocaust, showing how post-memory is manifested in various forms of narrative fiction and visual art by second-generation Holocaust survivors.

The Era of the Witness by Annette Wieviorka examines the role of Holocaust witnesses in shaping the construction of history and collective memory. Wieviorka analyses the conditions under which survivor testimonies have been produced, their reception over time, and discerns three successive phases in the evolution of the roles and images of the Holocaust witness. The book reflects on how these testimonies have influenced our understanding of moral responsibility and the acknowledgment of victims’ suffering

Writing the Holocaust: Identity, Testimony, Representation by Zoë V. Waxman challenges the notion that Holocaust survivors have only recently begun to share their stories. The book traces the history of Holocaust testimony, from the earliest accounts within Nazi ghettos and concentration camps to contemporary narratives. Waxman explores how the term ‘Holocaust’ and the identity of survivors as witnesses have shaped collective memory and allowed personal experiences to be recognised as part of a broader historical event.

The Wonder of Their Voices: The 1946 Holocaust Interviews of David Boder by Alan Rosen presents a detailed study of David Boder’s early postwar interviews with displaced persons, many of whom were Holocaust survivors. Rosen contextualizes Boder’s work within the broader response to displaced persons after World War II and examines the implications for our understanding of Holocaust testimony.

Testimony & Time: Holocaust Survivors Remember by Sharon K. Cohen is a collection that captures the voices of Holocaust survivors, reflecting on their experiences and the passage of time. Cohen compares individual accounts given at different phases in survivors’ lives to track changes and developments in their stories. The work delves into the nature of memory and trauma, examining how historical context and the passage of time influence the recounting of experiences.

Approaching an Auschwitz Survivor: Holocaust Testimony and its Transformations, edited by Jürgen Matthäus, offers a multifaceted examination of Holocaust testimony, particularly focusing on survivors from Auschwitz. The book discusses how testimonies have been recorded, interpreted, and utilized in various contexts, shedding light on the dynamic nature of survivor narratives.