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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
History
First Advisor
Andrew Port
Abstract
ABSTRACT
“BUT THE WOMEN ARE ON THE WALLS!”: A GENDERED ANALYSIS OF HOLOCAUST MUSEUMS IN THE UNITED STATES
by
KATIE CHAKA PARKS
JUNE 2024
Advisor: Dr. Andrew Port
Major: History
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Museums act as conduits of historical information to the public. As such, these institutions are responsible for considering their role in creating and perpetuating historical narratives. One way of assessing the creation and transfer of historical knowledge is by analyzing museums, and for the purposes of this study, Holocaust museums throughout the United States. The Holocaust has become a prime example of not only the collection and transfer of memory, but also the use of historical memory as a tool to learn from the past and enact change in the present. However, when we discuss the history and stories illuminating the human experience during the Holocaust, whose stories are we referencing? When we think of the Holocaust, whether with respect to who committed these acts or who suffered from them, the names that come to mind are often male and, more specifically, male perpetrators. So how are we telling the complete history of the Holocaust by neglecting more than half of the people that experienced it?
Using gender as a category of historical analysis is essential to studying how women and men are represented within memorial spaces dedicated to the Holocaust and allows future generations to understand a fuller history of this catastrophic event and its implications for the world today. Therefore, this study will seek to explore how representations of specifically women’s experiences are displayed within major Holocaust museums throughout the United States and how these representations inform our understanding of the memory and history of the Holocaust.
Recommended Citation
Parks, Katie Chaka, "“but The Women Are On The Walls!”: A Gendered Analysis Of Holocaust Museums In The United States" (2024). Wayne State University Dissertations. 4081.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/4081