Speaker: Alexandra M. Szabo, Department of History, Brandeis University - Academia.edu

Abstract: »In her doctoral research, Alexandra M. Szabó studies the experiences of Hungarian Jews and Romani peoples who endured sterilization and castration experiments in the National Socialist death and concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Lackenbach, and Ravensbrück in the years 1942 to 1945. She examines the repercussions and long-term effects of the forced procedures on the victims’ lives.
In this lecture, Szabó will discuss nonverbal expressions in Holocaust survivor testimonies housed in the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive (VHA) and how these cues point to the silences and silencing surrounding this history, not only in survivor accounts but also in medical documentation and compensation claims. Exploring visual instances of silenced memories centralizes victim perspectives and points to the tangible effects of experiencing a “prolonged genocide.” Szabó will discuss how her approach and findings blur the boundaries of the concepts of “genocide” and “survival,” challenging legal and political definitions, but drawing closer to the experience that victims describe.« (Source: Center for Advanced Genocide Research)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of Germany / Nazi Germany | Gencoide: The Holocaust / Sexual violence during the Holocaust | Sex and the law: Sexual violence / Compulsory sterilization