This looks as if it will be a fascinating symposium — Exhibiting the Shoah in history museums: comparing approaches & sharing experiences.
Held at 6 p.m. on January 30 in Brussels, at the House of European History, it’s one of the many, many events scheduled all over Europe to mark the International Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27.
The symposium takes the form of a panel discussion among representatives of four history museums in Europe and the United States that deal with the Shoah: Steven Luckert, curator, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC; Dariusz Stola, director, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw; Veerle Vanden Daelen, deputy general director and curator, Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights Kazerne Dossin, Mechelen, Belgium; Andrea Mork, head curator, House of European History, Brussels.
Whether the history of the Shoah is at the core of the museum’s narrative, or part of a broader story, or whether it is presented in a national context or told from a transnational perspective, the curatorial and interpretative choices can be quite different from one museum to another, and yet they all share similar responsibilities and challenges.
The panelists will confront and explore questions such as:
What is the role of a history museum in documenting, preserving the memory and teaching about the genocide of the European Jews? All four museums assert their aim to draw on the historical account of what is arguably the main negative reference point of European self-consciousness, to inspire a reflection on contemporary issues and foster mutual understanding among people. How do museums deal with such sensitive history in a way that is both relevant for today and that encourages authentic learning for the visitor?
To register for the event, please email [email protected]