
handle: 11390/865098
This talk will discuss the specific character of testimony about traumatic experiences of the World War II, particularly those from the concentration camps. Presented are the main points of view from the Anglo-American trauma theory regarding the modes of expressing such an experience (C. Caruth, H. White, D. La Capra). Through the example of the unpublished remembrances of Milojka Mezorana dealing with Auschwitz, we will discuss the relationship of a historiographer to a witness, and also the question of power established over the testimonial text when the same is used as a source of exact historiography knowledge. The status of testimony in historiography expands in range from its distanced use exclusively as a source of searchable data, to historiographer’s empathic immersion in witness' inability to articulate one’s experience in a discourse. We will present arguments for the “middle position” of a secondary witness between these two poles, taking into account the difficulty of testifying and the susceptibility of a testimony to discourse, but also the witness' appeal to give credence to his or her testimony. We will speak in favor of establishing the testimony archives, the institutions that would enable respect of the specific narrative working over traumatic experiences as a process without end.
testimonianza; trauma; campi di concentramento, trauma, traumatic memory, traumatic memory; trauma theory; era of the witness, secondary witness, testimonial discourse, concentration camps, Milojka Mezorana, era of the witness, trauma theory
testimonianza; trauma; campi di concentramento, trauma, traumatic memory, traumatic memory; trauma theory; era of the witness, secondary witness, testimonial discourse, concentration camps, Milojka Mezorana, era of the witness, trauma theory
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
