The Time Period of the Holocaust in the Beliefs of Primary School Children – Children’s Perspectives and the Thematization of the Holocaust and National Socialism in Primary-School Instruction (in General Subjects)

The original title: Die Zeit des Holocaust in Vorstellungen von Grundschulkindern – Perspektiven von Kindern und die Thematisierung von Holocaust und Nationalsozialismus im (Sach-)Unterricht der Grundschule

(In I. Enzenbach, C. Klätte, & D. Pech, (Eds.). Kinder und Zeitgeschichte: Jüdische Geschichte und Gegenwart, Nationalsozialismus und Antisemitismus, Supplement, 8, pp. 101–120)

This is a summary of a study of German primary school children’s beliefs about the Holocaust, based on interviews conducted in two classes in 2005. The author finds that the children almost exclusively focus on Hitler; that one can find “latent anti-Semitic fragments” in their statements; that, even without formal education, the pupils still possess knowledge about the Holocaust; and their main source of information about Nazi Germany seems to be family members. However, the family narratives mainly touch upon everyday-life and avoid the topic of the Holocaust. From these findings, the author argues that one could and should teach the Holocaust already in the German primary school.

The above abstract is taken from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Education Research Project. Please also consult the full list of abstracts in 15 languages and the accompanying publication Research in Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust: A Dialogue Beyond Borders. Ed: IHRA, Monique Eckmann, Doyle Stevick, Jolanta Ambrosewicz-Jacobs, 2017, Metropol Verlag.