Advances in Holocaust History and Education

This book, in tribute to the late Paul A Levine, a pioneer in the field of Holocaust history, focuses on themes identified in international research as particularly important for advances in Holocaust history and education, such as the role of 'bystanders', foreign policy and diplomacy, the role of individual actors, and Holocaust education. It aims to re-evaluate previous findings in light of new research in these areas, which were also the focal points of Levine’s research.Recent decades have shown further advances in Holocaust research in terms of new perspectives and methodologies, which have enriched and broadened our understanding. For instance, the term 'bystander' has been refined into sub-categories and has increased our understanding of how roles changed over time and in different contexts. Furthermore, local studies have nuanced our understanding, and insights about the role of distance in time and space have deepened our knowledge of rescue opportunities. In bystander countries, research has primarily focused on refugee policy and the shift from a restrictive attitude in the 1930s and the first war years to a more generous policy towards the war's end. Scholars have placed the Jewish experience at the center, and recent research has explored the formation of Holocaust memory. This volume brings together contributors to examine and re-evaluate the state of research in these areas in order to consolidate the field, and also to suggest new directions in research.The main research questions addressed in the book are: What is the state of Holocaust research in the early twenty-first century? What have been the most significant advances in the field? In what ways have concepts like perpetrators, victims, and bystanders developed, and how have they been used in the last two decades? How has Holocaust education developed since the late 1990s? What new methods and tools are used? What role has Holocaust education played in the Europeanization and democratization of the former communist countries?