(RE)Presenting the Holocaust: 
An Interdisciplinary Workshop and Colloquium for Graduate Students 

February 15-16, 1998 
Holocaust, Shoah, Khurbn . . . More than a half century after the end of the Nazi regime, the world continues to be haunted by the events called to mind by these various designations. The present generation of young scholars, however, has no direct connection with the Holocaust. The actual perpetrators, victims, eye-witnesses, and participants are becoming an increasingly smaller portion of the population. In addition, new literature on the Holocaust is being written from the perspective of authors with considerable temporal distance from the events. The tasks for the younger generation in dealing with the Holocaust clearly differ from those of previous times. This workshop and colloquium is dedicated to exploring the ways in which the current younger generation is coming to terms with the past.

Endless questions abound in contemporary discourse on the Holocaust: To which extent is language inadequate in expressing the atrocities of the Nazi era? How should we respond to skeptics who view the Holocaust as a mere hoax, or to those revisionists who claim that reports of the events have been stretched to hyperbolic proportions? Which socio-political and geographical factors were involved in the persecution not only of Jews, but also of other groups such as the Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, and the mentally and physically handicapped? These and numerous other queries must be thoroughly considered and reconsidered from the perspectives of post-World War II generations. In accordance with this premise, the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the Ohio State University invites interested graduate students from all disciplines to submit papers for our upcoming forum.

Possible topics for papers include but are not limited to the following:

The first evening of the conference will be in workshop format. Participants will be asked to share materials which might be appropriate in teaching students about the Holocaust at the undergraduate level. We will have what promises to be an enlightening panel discussion with faculty members who have experience in this area of instruction.

Papers should be no longer than 15 to 20 minutes when presented. Abstracts of approximately two to four pages should be submitted by December 5, 1997 to:
Jennifer William, Graduate Student Conference Planning Committee
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
314 Cunz Hall of Languages
1841 Millikin Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1229.