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Testimonies of Resistance
Representations of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Sonderkommando
Edited by Nicholas Chare and Dominic Williams
Foreword by Anne Karpf
Afterword by Victor Jeleniewski Seidler
398 pages, 21 illus., bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-78920-341-7 $145.00/£107.00 / Hb / Published (September 2019)
eISBN 978-1-78920-342-4 eBook
Reviews
“Overall, the collection offers exciting and also new perspectives on the representations of the Sonderkommando and it will be interesting for researchers from different disciplines.” • H-Soz-Kult
“This is yet another outstanding book from Nicholas Chare and Dominic Williams. Each chapter offers an interesting perspective and keen insights into the Sonderkommando, the Scrolls of Auschwitz, and Holocaust representation, and I came away with new appreciation for them all.” • Sarah Cushman, Northwestern University
“Testimonies of Resistance is an important volume that addresses a topic that has not been explored in sufficient depth so far, connecting it to crucial debates on the “gray zone,” resistance, and moral action. It is a vital contribution to the field of Holocaust Studies and beyond.” • Svenja Bethke, University of Leicester
Description
The Sonderkommando—the “special squad” of enslaved Jewish laborers who were forced to work in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz-Birkenau—comprise one of the most fascinating and troubling topics within Holocaust history. As eyewitnesses to and unwilling abettors of the murder of their fellow Jews, they are the object of fierce condemnation even today. Yet it was a group of these seemingly compromised men who carried out the revolt of October 7, 1944, one of the most celebrated acts of Holocaust resistance. This interdisciplinary collection assembles careful investigations into how the Sonderkommando have been represented—by themselves and by others—both during and after the Holocaust.
Nicholas Chare is Associate Professor in the Department of History of Art and Film Studies at the Université de Montréal.
Dominic Williams is Senior Lecturer in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Northumbria University.
Listen to an Interview with the Editors on New Books Network