The hidden landscapes of the Holocaust in late twentieth century Britain
This thesis investigates the memorial landscapes of the Holocaust in late twentieth century Britain. By using a variety of methodological and theoretical techniques it reconstructs the biography of the mnemonic sites that seek to represent the Holocaust in the British landscape. It argues that these landscapes are structured by a number of discourses which construct the Holocaust as apart from the histories and the geographies of British people. The first is the heroic myths that pervade British society about the role of Britain during the Second World War. The second in the ontologies of Anglo-Jewry within the assimilationist framework of British society. This has produced landscapes which can be described as 'hidden'. The mnemonic sites in Britain that commemorate the Holocaust are in 'out-of-the-way' places and spaces which in turn reinforces the notion that the Holocaust is not something that the people of Britain need to consider as relevant to contemporary society. It also examines the way in which the memorial's relationship with its surrounding location is crucially important in the making of meaning, both for the memorial itself and for the surrounding rural or urban fabric. It argues that an active
Cooke, Steven John
Monuments ; Memorials ; Jewish community ; Britain
The hidden landscapes of the Holocaust in late twentieth century Britain. This thesis investigates the memorial landscapes of the Holocaust in late twentieth century Britain. By using a variety of methodological and theoretical techniques it reconstructs the biography of the mnemonic sites that seek to represent the Holocaust in the British landscape. It argues that these landscapes are structured by a number of discourses which construct the Holocaust as apart from the histories and the geographies of British people. The first is the heroic myths that pervade British society about the role of Britain during the Second World War. The second in the ontologies of Anglo-Jewry within the assimilationist framework of British society. This has produced landscapes which can be described as 'hidden'. The mnemonic sites in Britain that commemorate the Holocaust are in 'out-of-the-way' places and spaces which in turn reinforces the notion that the Holocaust is not something that the people of Britain need to consider as relevant to contemporary society. It also examines the way in which the memorial's relationship with its surrounding location is crucially important in the making of meaning, both for the memorial itself and for the surrounding rural or urban fabric. It argues that an active
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