Already at the turn of the millennium, in their renowned book The Holocaust and Memory in the Global Age (2006) Daniel Levy and Natan Sznaider propounded the emergence of a new globalized, “cosmopolitan” memory of the Holocaust. Since then other scholars have not only confirmed but also honed this theory. Developing concepts such as “transnational” (Chiara De Cesari and Ann Rigney), “transcultural” (Barbara Törnquist-Plewa), “travelling” (Astrid Erll) or “multidirectional” (Michael Rothberg) memory they have also broadened the scope of their research applying their ideas to other historical events and phenomena beyond the Holocaust. However, what is still missing is an empirical, in depth analysis of how this transnationalization process actually takes place.
The aim of the project is to narrow this research gap by examining how transnational memory is construed. To capture this interplay between the remembrance policy of the European Union, other transnational memory agents and national or local institutions, the project examines museums in various European countries dedicated to those who aided Jews during the Holocaust. Most of these museums were built or were completely refurbished post 2000, some are still under construction. Apart from a close reading of the examined displays, we also analyze the history of their establishment. The project also involves qualitative audience research conducted at selected museums in Poland and Germany. Focusing the research on newly created museums dealing with a common topic, strongly present within European public discourse allows us to trace how global actors inspire and shape local memory practices and policies, and vice versa.
