Oral History, Jewish Memory, and the Archive

Catalog description

This course will put two oral history archives documenting Jewish history in conversation with each other to explore questions of history, narrative, memory, and the stories we tell. The Centropa oral history and photography archive is a collection of over one thousand life history interviews recorded between 2000 and 2009 with Jewish Holocaust survivors who continued to live in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, and the former Soviet Union after the war. From 2018 to 2021, the Meanings of October 27th oral history project interviewed over 100 Jews and non-Jews across Western Pennsylvania about their life stories and reflections on the October 27th, 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people. What can these oral histories teach us about the intersection of history and memory? What is the role of these archives as a multi-vocal space where historical narratives are constructed and disseminated? We will learn about the process of collecting and archiving oral histories, delve into the materials of these two archives, and contextualize the interviews within US and European Jewish history. Students will have the opportunity to record an oral history interview as part of their final project. This course is open to all students and majors alike, and it requires no prerequisites.