An innovative contribution to the field of Holocaust Studies, this set of interdisciplinary and interfaith essays undertakes a gendered analysis of women as victims, rescuers, perpertrators, and survivors, as well as their representation by postwar artists. Despite the fact that Holocaust Studies is now a mature field, the topic of women and the Holocaust remains underexplored. Women's voices have given rise to many powerful accounts of the Holocaust, and yet few researchers have analyzed these perspectives to learn what the horrifying events meant for women in particular. In Experience and Expression, the authors take on this challenge, addressing the experiences of both Jewish and non-Jewish women. The book opens with an introduction that provides a through overview of the current status of research in the field, followed by two essays that propose new paradigms for theoretical approaches to this topic. The anthology includes essays on particular women who have been little studied in English-language publications. The essays explore the roles (both helpful and harmful) of German nurses. Women's roles in the French resistance and the experiences of Roma and Sinti women are also discussed. Anne Frank's diary, long acknowledged as the seminal work on the Holocaust from a female perspective, is examined with a critical eye to expose the way that scholars have both used and abused their interpretations of this key text. The anthology concludes with analyses of postwar filmic, fictional, and artistic depictions of women in the Holocaust. The interdisciplinary scope of this work includes essays from the fields of English, religion, nursing, history, law, comparative literature, philosophy,French studies, and German studies. Sometimes painful, always well-argued and penetrating, the essays in this collection explore an array of experiences and provide a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of this significant area of study; each essay seeks to push the theoretical boundaries that shape our understanding of women's experience and agency during the Holocaust. This text will be invaluable for scholars, particularly those interested in the areas of Holocaust studies and women's studies, as well as for classroom adoption.
Industry Reviews
Although numerous books on the subject by recognized and respected scholars have come out since [the early 1980's], the editors of and contributors to Experience and Expression: Women, the Nazis, and the Holocaust still find it necessary to defend their consideration of women and gender. Taken as a whole, what distinguishes this anthology from earlier works on the subject is its interdisciplinary depth (contributors range from academics specializing in literary studies, Holocaust studies, philosophy, and religion, to nursing professionals and independent scholars) and the spectrum of women's experience that it addresses. It builds on existing scholarship, expanding the field of inquiry in new directions and pointing to areas where further research is needed and untapped archives should be explored: comparative gender analyses of socialization and Holocaust experience; sociological studies of Roma and Sinti life prior to the Holocaust; and nationality-based studies of Holocaust experience. In the broader context of genocide studies, the brief reference to the relatively new area of scholarship on gender and genocide in the introduction points to a productive link to future comparative analyses of genocide across the globe."--Holocaust and Genocide Studies "Holocaust and Genocide Studies "
Experience & Expression compels us to re-examine familiar thoughts and ideas during the years from l933-l945. Baer and Goldenberg made a most important contribution for future scholars and provide a rare blend of views on the subject of women and their roles during the Holocaust.--Lucille Eichengren "author of From Ashes to Life and Rumkowski and the Orphans of Lodz "
Experience and Expression is superbly edited and introduced by Elizabeth R. Baer and Myrna Goldenberg, two outstanding scholars and editors. They have achieved the difficult feat of assembling in one collection essays of a very high caliber, each of which is clear, focused, and accessible, and many of which contain new insights and ideas. This is a significant and compelling work that will prove indispensable to everyone who wants to study about Women, the Nazis, and the Holocaust.--Dr. Carol Rittner "RSM, Distinguished Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey "
Experience and Expression: Women, the Nazis, and the Holocaust is an important collection of essays on the Holocaust. Built on the foundation of previous work on women and the Holocaust, it represents a new generation of writers, those who seek understanding of the Holocaust. The essays are written from diverse perspectives and disciplines but with a singular respect for the magnitude of the Holocaust and the importance of understanding the role of women, both as victims and as perpetrators. Elizabeth R. Baer and Myrna Goldenberg have chosen wisely and enhanced our understanding where women's experiences during the Shoah parallel those of men and where they differed. It should silence those critics who believe that an emphasis on women is misplaced and disruptive of our understanding of the Final Solution of the Jewish Question. To approach the Shoah, we must use all the tools at our disposal; Experience and Expression does that.--Michael Berenbaum "Former Director of Research, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum "
This book is an important addition to an already enormous collection of literature on the Holocaust, and to a smaller but nonetheless impressive array of books and articles on women's experiences. Elizabeth Baer and Myrna Goldenberg have gathered a diverse and interesting set of articles that focus on women's experiences in the Holocaust.--Jewish Book World
