Remembering the Holocaust: Past, Present and Future

The Holocaust was central to Western memory and institution building for the entire second half of the twentieth century.  It informed the post-war international liberal order we long took for granted, including the creation of the United Nations, an organization that has been central to global stability, and the International Criminal Court, the first tribunal with a mandate to seek accountability for the world’s most heinous crimes. Yet the collective memory of this unprecedented historical event has always been controversial. Today, more than seventy years after this rupture, it is vital to examine how Holocaust memory has altered over the decades, and where it may be headed in the future.  Erna Paris’s lecture will explore the social and cultural implications of shifting public memory and the staying power of the so-called lessons of the Holocaust.

BIOGRAPHY:

Erna Paris, C.M., is the author of seven acclaimed works of literary non-fiction and the winner of twelve national and international writing awards for her books, feature writing, and radio documentaries. Her works have been published in fourteen countries and translated into eight languages. Among them, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies, and History was chosen as one of “The Hundred Most Important Books Ever Written in Canada” by the Literary Review of Canada. Ms. Paris has appeared on radio and television around the world and has lectured in countries as diverse as Japan, Russia, China, Mexico, Britain, the United States, and Canada.  She is a frequent contributor to the opinion page of the Globe & Mail. (www.ernaparis.com).