Holocaust Photography and Education in the Digital Era

International Workshop within the Framework of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure

The Jewish Museum of Greece, Athens | October 18–19, 2018 | Venue: Ionic Centre, Athens

We would like to invite you to an international workshop on Readings of the Visual: Holocaust Photography and Education in the Digital Era to be held by The Jewish Museum of Greece, Athens, on 18-19 October, 2018.

This expert meeting is organized within the framework of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) program, supported by the European Commission. EHRI was launched in November 2010, and is dedicated to opening up collections related to Holocaust history within a web-based environment. The overall objective of the EHRI experts' workshops is to generate a creative exchange of knowledge and views between experts in various methodological subfields of Holocaust research and documentation.

Over the last decades, the visual has become a vital part of education as well as an important topic in academic discussions. The workshop “Readings of the Visual” aims at rethinking the role of Holocaust photography in the educational process, taking into consideration the demands of the digital era. In a time when various photographs are disseminated through several channels (tv, social media etc), how do we make use of photographs in a meaningful and reflective way? What can we learn from the new digital practices? This workshop wishes to combine the theoretical debates along with the educational experience and to suggest new ways of making the most of Holocaust photography in the educational process.

Speakers of various professional backgrounds, such as historians, archivists, museum curators, photography specialists and other relevant researchers are strongly encouraged to present their work.

Some suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

• Holocaust photography as an educational tool: Where does photography fit into Holocaust education? How do we train young students to read Holocaust photography? How do we avoid the trap of sensationalism?
• Terminology, methodology and ethics: Defining basic concepts; What do we mean by the term Holocaust photography? What are the limits? Photography of terror: uses and misuses.
• Images and the archives: How do we manage large Holocaust photograph collections? How do we highlight smaller entities of Holocaust photographs when they belong in non-Holocaust related archives? What is the role of an archive in the dissemination of pictures (royalties, credits etc)?
• Deciphering the Shoah and its aftermath, one photograph at a time: We invite researchers who work with photography to reveal unique stories that lie within each photograph. Do we question photographs or do we try to understand them? New methodologies in photograph analysis.
• Digital humanities: New applications, new ways of dissemination. What are the lessons drawn from the new media? How do museums benefit from these applications, especially regarding their educational programs?

The workshop will conclude with a round table of invited distinguished scholars discussing the topic “Photography of terror: uses and misuses”. 

If you are interested in giving a presentation, please send a proposal of up to 300 words and a short CV (200 words, including contact information) to:

Anastasia Loudarou (The Jewish Museum of Greece): aloudarou[at]jewishmuseum.gr

The deadline for proposals is July 31, 2018

Notifications will be sent via email by September 1, 2018.

Those selected will have to give an extended abstract of 1000 words on October, 10, 2018.

Image ©Jewish Museum of Greece