The duty to remember: Holocaust remembrance and education in contemporary France

Though the decades following the liberation of France in 1944 were characterized by myths and repressions, since the 1970s historians, filmmakers, educators, the general public, and government officials have made considerable efforts to reconcile the dark aspects of France's history and to integrate them into French memory and national history. As Vichy's involvement in the perpetration of the Holocaust moved from the periphery into the mainstream of French consciousness, so did Holocaust remembrance and education. Though for several decades these initiatives appear to have provided a symbolic protection against anti-Semitic acts, the 21st century has been marked by a resurgence of anti-Semitic incidents in France. This paper explores the evolution of France's memory of Vichy's anti-Semitism, the measures taken to incorporate Holocaust remembrance and education into national memory and history, and the reasons why these measures no longer appear to have the same effect in contemporary France. (By the author)