By analyzing what Andreas Huyssen has termed “present pasts”, course participants explore how the past is negotiated in the present and, specifically, how issues such as racism, antisemitism, and homophobia are addressed in the present European Union. This field school explores and analyzes the ways in which the Holocaust is memorialized in Central Europe and builds an understanding of how the lessons of the Holocaust are relevant in today’s world. The course promotes intercultural learning through a variety of activities including joint workshops with European students and visits to memorial sites, museums, and monuments of the Holocaust. Upon return to Canada, participants share their experiences through formal presentations and discussions on campus, in high schools, and with the local community.
The program ran from May 8 – June 9, 2024, with the first week of classes taking place at the University of Victoria, followed by three weeks in Central Europe. Participants travelled to Berlin, Germany; Krakow, Poland; and Vienna, Austria.
The next program will run in the summer of 2026 with applications due November 1, 2025.
For more information on the I-witness Holocaust Field School Project, please contact us!
Web: https://www.uvic.ca/humanities/germanicslavic/undergraduate/home/fieldschool/index.php
Phone: 250 721 7316
Email: iwitness@uvic.ca