Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Activities Report, 2012-2015

Mission: The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS) is an interdisciplinary research center in CLA that serves as a collaborative space to scholars, students and educators studying the Holocaust, other genocides and current forms of large-scale political violence. The Center was established in 1997 with the mission to advance scholarship and promote education in the field of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. In 2012 CHGS joined nine other research centers in CLA to centralize administrative and programmatic efforts as part of the Collaborative for International Research Centers (CIRC).

RESEARCH The Center actively invests in the intellectual development of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. CHGS works closely with departments, centers and individual faculty in CLA, including the Human Rights Program, the Institute for Global Studies, the Ohanessian Chair, the Center for Austrian Studies, the Center for Jewish Studies and the Center for German and European Studies. Collaboration involves research projects, facilitating and co-teaching courses at graduate and undergraduate levels, and organizing symposia and conferences. 2012-2015 initiatives include: 

Reframing Mass Violence. Human Rights and Social Memory - IAS Research Collaborative (2013-2015) (CHGS, Human Rights Program, Joachim Savelsberg) Funding: $20,204 (Institute for Advanced Study) The IAS Collaborative has examined dynamics of public remembrance of mass violence, including the role of legal tribunals, truth commissions, official apologies, lustration and reparations, as well as less formalized types of commemoration such as memorials and museums, film and television series and the visual arts. During 2013-2014 the area focus of the Collaborative was Latin America and Spain. In 2014-2015 our attention shifted to Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Over the course of two academic years, the collaborative held a lecture series, seminar sessions and one international symposium. Discussions across disciplinary and geographic boundaries have served to identify new emerging patterns of social memory, which are no longer bound to a specific place, nation or culture, but characterized by interdependence, linkages, and transnational cross- fertilization.

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Holocaust, Genocide and Mass Violence Studies – Interdisciplinary Graduate Group and Workshop Series Funding for 2013-2014: $3,000 (U of M Graduate School) Funding for 2015-2016: $12,000 (U of M Graduate School) (pending) The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Human Rights Program initiated a research workshop in fall 2012 with the goal of fostering interdisciplinary conversations between the social sciences, the legal field, the humanities and the arts. The group, which holds sessions twice a month during the academic year, offers a unique opportunity for graduate students and faculty to share their work, receive interdisciplinary feedback, and to engage in dialogue with invited scholars. So far, more than 30 students, faculty and guest speakers have presented their work at the workshop. Graduate students from programs across CLA have been active members of this initiative. The Group also helps graduate students with awards for travel and registration fees for conferences and symposia.

International Conferences 

Representing Genocide: Media, Law and Scholarship (April 5th and 6th, 2013) The Center and Joachim Savelsberg organized a two-day conference that addressed the relationship between representations of past mass atrocities and their actual impact on unfolding events of mass violence. The symposium explored when and how promoting public awareness and memory of mass atrocities through distinct institutions (the media, the judiciary and academic scholarship) can lead to genocide prevention and reactions to genocidal violence.

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Genocide and its Aftermath: Lessons from Rwanda (April 16th and 17th, 2014) This one-day conference was a collaboration between the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, the Institute for Global Studies and the Human Rights Program. Academics, activists and diplomats led a critical examination of the failure of nation-states to lead a timely intervention into the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, as well as the long-term impacts of international criminal law and the practice of tying intervention to the designation of genocide.

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Contested Past, Contested Present: Social Memories and Human Rights in Post-Communist Europe (March 5th and 6th, 2015) This two day event was sponsored by the IAS Collaborative “Reframing Mass Violence”, and organized by CHGS and the Human Rights Program. This symposium examined the reception of the Holocaust and the role Nazi and Stalinist atrocities play in contemporary discussions of national identity, the effects of truth and justice initiatives, and artistic representation in contested memory politics in Eastern Europe.

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War, What is it Good For? Uses and Abuses of Second World War History On May 8th 2015, the Center and Prof. Matti Jutila, Government of Finland /

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David and Nancy Speer Visiting Professor, organized a symposium marking the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. The event discussed the actual and potential uses of Second World War history 70 years after the war's end in international and domestic politics. Panel Discussions, Lectures and Film Screenings Between 2012 and 2015 CHGS has organized more than 30 lectures and panel discussions open to the public and concerning scholarly and topical issues including events in Syria, antisemitism in Europe or the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo publication in Paris. The Center has also co-sponsored and organized more than 10 film screenings on campus and also with the Film Society of Minneapolis Saint Paul. Among these, BESA: The Promise (2012), which documents first-person accounts of Albanian Muslims who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, and A Film Unfinished (2010), which portrays the people behind and before the camera in the Warsaw Ghetto. This screening included a Q&A session with its producer 
 N oem i Schory.

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS The Center strives to create and maintain ties with scholars, centers and organizations in the US and with international academic institutions in Europe and Latin America. In November of 2014 the Center partnered with the Memorial de la Shoah (Paris), Topographie des Terrors (Berlin) and Centro Sefarad-Israel (Madrid) on the organization of the three-day conference Bystanders, Rescuers or Perpetrators? The Neutrals and the Shoah-Facts, Myths and Counter Myths held in Madrid, Spain. This conference was co-funded through a grant from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) with 20,500 Euro.

SUPPORTING UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE EDUCATION 

Bernard and Fern Badzin Graduate Fellowship in Holocaust and Genocide Studies In 2013 the Memorandum of Agreement of the Badzin Fellowship was revised with the Chair of the Department of History and the donor so that graduate students in CLA studying and conducting research in the area of Holocaust and Genocide studies could apply irrespective of their departmental affiliation. The University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Department of History grants this full year fellowship each spring.

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International Student Conferences Between 2012 and 2015 CHGS (in partnership with HRP, IGS and the Ohanessian Chair) has organized two International Student Conferences designed to foster dialogue between future scholars and practitioners and introduce students to a wider community of genocide researchers. The students were able to interact with senior scholars of genocide and human rights and discuss future work and graduate school opportunities. The first conference took place on April 17, 2014, marking the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. The second was held on April 24th, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

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Courses In addition to regular courses offered by Alejandro Baer as a faculty member in Sociology, the Center has organized two semester-long 1-credit topics courses on the following subjects.

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Reframing Mass Violence: Human Rights and Social Memory in Latin America and Southern Europe (Spring 2014), co-facilitated by Alejandro Baer (Sociology, CHGS), Barbara Frey (Human Rights Program) and Ana Forcinito (Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese)

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The Armenian Genocide: Disrupted History, Fractured Identities (Spring 2015), taught by Dr. Artyom H. Tonoyan, Ph.D. Funded through CHGS and the Ohanessian Chair.

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Holocaust Survivor Talks in Classes The Center fosters the sharing of Holocaust survivor stories in classrooms, and has been privileged to facilitate the meeting and conversation between students and Holocaust survivors Dora Zaidenweber and Irene Berman. It hopes to continue such initiatives in the future, also in collaboration with CHAIM (Children of Holocaust Survivors Association of Minnesota).

ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH The Center has nurtured and sustained strong ties with the Minnesota Jewish and Armenian communities. We have collaborated with community organizations developing public events and educational programs, such as lectures, screenings, panel discussions, and exhibitions. These programs were open to the general population and took place at the University and also in the community.

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Collaboration with Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) and local Holocaust survivor organizations. The Center and the JCRC have collaborated on a number of projects. These included a panel discussion on historic and contemporary manifestations of antiSemitism in Europe and the US in November of 2013. A more recent collaboration included partnering with JCRC on the marking of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 2015, the “Lawyers without Rights” Exhibit in 2014 and the JCRC and U of M Confucius Center’s “Jewish Refugees in Shanghai” exhibit in 2015. The Center has also partnered with the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival and Rimon-The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council.

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Collaboration with Armenian Community in Minnesota. CHGS has worked together with the Saint Sahag Armenian Church around the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, the educator workshop and the student’s conference on One Hundred Years of Genocide, held in April of 2015. The center was part of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee, and participated in events to commemorate and educate on this genocide in 2013 and 2015.

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Collaboration with Dakota Community CHGS has worked with Dakota scholars at the University and the community. We a panel discussion on the Dakota exile, looking at impact and resistance, and organized two field trips to B’dote, the sacred site of the Dakota creation stories and the location of Fort Snelling, were the Dakota were confined during USDakota War of 1862.

EDUCATOR RESOURCES AND WORKSHOPS CHGS maintains a book and DVD library and hosts an internationally renowned website that offers resources about the Holocaust and other genocides to scholars and educators at multiple grade levels. The Center’s lectures are video-recorded and uploaded to the CHGS YouTube channel for educational purposes. CHGS also supports educators through workshops and seminars, facilitated by UofM faculty and national experts in Holocaust and genocide education. Educator Workshops (with Institute for Global Studies Outreach) 

The Holocaust in European Memory Summer Institute (July 8-11, 2013) The summer institute examined the process by which the Nazi murder of European Jews became “The Holocaust”. Sessions included topics such as the law and Holocaust trials, the establishment of public memorials, school curricula, art, literature and film.

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Kristallnacht: History, Memory and Pedagogy (November 9, 2013) This one-day professional development workshop addressed the history of the anti-Jewish pogrom in 1938 Germany and provided the educators with resources and classroom activities. It also included a lecture on the Nazi genocide of the 5

Sinti and Roma by William Duna, the first Roma to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council in 1987. 

Genocide Education: Lessons from Rwanda (April 19, 2014) Visiting genocide scholar Samuel Totten led a secondary educator training on genocide education, including the origins, causes and responses to genocide within the scope of human rights and international law. He provided an overview of genocides perpetrated in Africa in the 1990s before examining the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda as a case study.

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WWI and the Armenian Genocide Teacher Workshop (April 25, 2015) The Center partnered with CAS and IGS for a one-day workshop, which started with an historical overview of the beginning of World War I and followed by break out sessions on the War in Africa, Asia, and the Armenian Genocide.

ART PROJECTS 

Portraying Memories Project (External Funding: $2,600. Rimon-The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council) Internationally recognized artist Félix de la Concha traveled to the Twin Cities in March 2013 and January 2015 to collaborate with CHGS on his latest portrait series, Portraying Memories. Portraits with Conversation with Survivors of the Holocaust. The artist met with nine Holocaust survivors in the Twin Cities to paint their portraits and record the interview sessions. These portraits add to his existing collection of over 30 painted portraits of survivors residing in multiple countries. The completed portraits were donated to the University of Minnesota to be utilized by the Center for education and traveling exhibitions. All portraits and video interviews were included on the CHGS Virtual Museum and YouTube channel.

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CHGS Virtual Museum The virtual museum (http://www.chgs.umn.edu/museum/) was created to give educators, scholars and students a venue to explore art and artists whose work deals with the Holocaust and other genocides. The artwork on the website represents a variety of artistic responses to the Holocaust and is accessible to a diverse range of users, from researchers and students, to community groups.

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Fritz Hirschberger: Sur-Rational Paintings and The Fifth Horseman From October 29 – November 27, 2012, the University of Northern Iowa’s Gallery of Art presented CHGS’s traveling exhibition, "Fritz Hirschberger: SurRational Paintings and The Fifth Horseman.”

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FUTURE PROJECTS AND GRANT PLANNING While CHGS will continue organizing programs and supporting research from all areas of Holocaust and genocide studies, it will also build on the robust intellectual agenda established in the 2012-2015 period, which specializes in the following subjects: -

Post-mass violence scenarios and transitional justice Remembrance, representations and memory politics. Holocaust art, literature and film Antisemitism studies

These areas of inquiry that hinge on the excellence and expertise of its director and affiliate faculty, distinguish CHGS as an internationally renowned research center in the field of Holocaust and genocide studies. The following initiatives are devised to develop the content and expand the reach of this intellectual agenda. 

Transatlantic Summer Institute (July 2016) In July of 2016, CHGS will co-organize the Transatlantic Summer Institute "Memory of Atrocity in Europe and the Americas" at the Universität Bayreuth, alongside with Prof. Bernt Schnettler (U.Bayreuth). Funded by DAAD-Center for German and European Studies.

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NSF Grant Proposal: Between Cosmopolitan and National Memories The center is applying for funding to the National Science Foundation Sociology Program for a comparative study on content and impact of international Holocaust remembrance initiatives in the US, Germany, Spain, Argentina and Turkey.

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Graduate School Grant Proposal (Pending) HGMV Lecture Series Asia In 2015/2016, in addition to the bi-weekly workshops with UofM faculty and graduate students, the Interdisciplinary Graduate Group on Holocaust, Genocide and Mass Violence Studies is planning to organize three invited guest lectures on Genocide and Mass Violence in Asia, with a focus on Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and East Timor.

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Also in 2015/2016, the ID Group plans to organize a panel at the Law and Society conference in New Orleans (June 2-6, 2015), which will feature the work of the students involved with the HGMV group.

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International Symposium: Holocaust and/or Genocide Studies? A Scholarly Dialogue In 2016 the Center is planning on hosting a conference focusing on the disciplinary developments, emerging perspectives, conceptual discussions and tensions in and between the fields of genocide studies and Holocaust studies. Its focus will be on the re-definitions of political mass violence through the category

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of genocide in certain contexts as well as the current state of comparative genocide research.

DIRECTOR’S ACTIVITIES The CHGS Director also holds the Stephen C. Feinstein Chair in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and as such, scholarly, professional, and outreach activities reflect the Center's leadership in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Alejandro Baer has participated in the following activities since becoming Director in August, 2012: -

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Gave 16 invited lectures and keynotes in the U.S., Germany, Spain, Canada, Holland, 5 conference papers and presentations and several community lectures in the Twin Cities (churches, cultural centers, synagogues). Published 3 articles in peer-reviewed journals (1 co-authored), co-edited a special issue of the journal Soziale Welt (Germany), published five book chapters (4 coauthored) and has 3 other chapters forthcoming. Reprinted 3 previously published articles and chapters. Book contract with Ashgate Publishers (co-authored with Natan Sznaider). The Holocaust and the Ethics of Never Again. Manuscript submission date: August 31, 2015. Monograph. Published 4 op-eds in the Star Tribune (2 co-authored), gave interviews to several media outlets including MPR, WCCO, the Spanish News Agency EFE and newspaper La Razón.

Awards - University of Bayreuth International Club Award 2013 - U. Minnesota Sociology Department Public Sociology Award 2014 Professional Service - Affiliate Faculty of the Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, the Center for German and European Studies, Center for Jewish Studies, Human Rights Program (University of Minnesota) - Executive Board Member of the Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Memoria y Derechos Humanos (CIEMED), Madrid. - Member of the Russel Sage Foundation Rose Series Editorial Board (2015-2018). - Editorial Committee Member, Papeles del CEIC (Centro de Estudios sobre la Identidad Colectiva), Bilbao. - Scientific Committee Member, Clepsidra. Revista Interdisciplinaria de Estudios sobre Memoria, Buenos Aires.

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