Collecting Life Stories in the Jewish World, 19th-21st Centuries

Co-organized with the George and Irina Schaeffer Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights, and Conflict Prevention (AUP), the Middle East and Mediterranean Research Centre (CERMOM, INALCO), and Museum of Jewish Art and History (MAHJ).

In the wake of the Wissenschaft des Judentums, appearing in 19th century Germany, the emergence of Jewish history as a discipline contributed to the rise of testimony collecting among the Jewish populations. This practice documented a wide range of Jewish experiences, from daily life to significant events, often of a violent and murderous nature. This conference aims to explore the different facets of these oral and written documentary efforts, from their origin to present endeavors. Starting from the abundant undertaking carried out in particular by the Jews of Eastern Europe or the victims of the Holocaust, it proposes to deepen knowledge on these two paradigmatic cases and to put them into comparative perspective with other projects developed in the rest of the Jewish world, from the end of the 19th century to the present day.

Organizing committee: Malena Chinski (FMS-EHESS), Judith Lindenberg (MAHJ), Constance Pâris de Bollardière (AUP), Simon Perego (INALCO-CERMOM).