Holocaust remembrance in the Italian province of Alessandria: the narrative of the ‘righteous’

Caroline Smith

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference presentation/ephemera

Abstract

This paper examines the nature of Holocaust memorial initiatives in the Italian province of Alessandria, looking particularly at the growing popularity of memorial sites and texts dedicated to the ‘giusti’ (righteous) – people who aided or hid Jews during the years of Nazi occupation from 1943 to 1945. This trend is examined in terms of how it reinforces the ‘good Italian’ narrative - constructed in the aftermath of the war – which enabled Italy to place responsibility for the deportation of its Jewish population largely at the feet of the Nazi occupying forces. Since the 1990s – and particularly since the institution of a national day of memory in 2001 – the province has seen a growth in public awareness of the Holocaust and of local Jewish history, and this paper considers the role of the ‘righteous’ narrative within this framework.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2021
EventAustralian Historical Association Conference 2021: Unfinished Business - University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Duration: 29 Nov 20212 Dec 2021
Conference number: 39

Conference

ConferenceAustralian Historical Association Conference 2021
Abbreviated titleAHA 2021
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CitySydney
Period29/11/212/12/21

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