Industrijalizacija Holokausta? (Američka) debata o instrumentalizaciji Šoe na prelomu veka

Abstract

Tema rada je istorijska debata oko fenomena tzv. industrije Holokausta. U osnovi ove debate nalaze se pitanja „centralnosti“, jedinstvenosti, univerzalizacije, amerikanizacije i instrumentalizacije Šoe. Nakon goruće javne kontraverze, posledično uništenih karijera i političkog zbijanja redova, ta pitanja ostala su da lebde kao preteći označitelji Zeitgeista savremene kulture sećanja, kao otvorena priča o etičnosti reprezentacije Holokausta. U radu polazimo od načina na koje pojam industrije Holokausta tematizuju troje autora s početka 21. veka u svojim knjigama: zborniku Amerikanizacija Holokausta Hilen Flanzbaum (Hilene Flanzbaum, 1999), Holokaust u američkom životu Pitera Novika (Peter Novick, 1999) i Industrija Holokausta: Razmišljanja o eksploataciji jevrejske patnje Normana Finkelstina (Norman Finkelstein, 2000). Rad obrađuje proces (političkoekonomske) instrumentalizacije Holokausta, njene normalizacije, naturalizacije, normativizacije i mehanizacije - u zapadnim društvima - i kritike tog procesa. Cilj teksta jeste da rasvetli na šta se misli kada se govori o industriji Holokausta i da otvori prostor za dalje promišljanje i problematizaciju govora o Holokaustu u svetlu opomene koju nam njegova aktuelna komodifikacija i industrijalizacija upućuje.

In three books published at the turn of the millennium, the authors talk about the phenomenon of the pronounced presence and significance of the Holocaust in American society: Hilene Flanzbaum’s Americanization of the Holocaust (1999), Peter Novick’s Holocaust in American Life (1999) and Norman Finkelstein’s The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering (2000). These works describe (and criticize) the post-Holocaust memorial world which is characterized by the commodification, commercialization and instrumentalization of the culture of remembrance. Even though each of these authors invoked/understood the term differently, the effect of their works was the introduction of the term „Holocaust industry“ into the public discourse. Today, it has become an umbrella metaphor for a whole range of practices that represent the instrumentalization, commercialization and commodification of Holocaust remembrance. The paper deals with the process of (political-economic) instrumentalization of the Holocaust, its normalization, naturalization, normativization and mechanization - in Western societies - and criticism of that process. The paper aims to shed light on what is meant by the Holocaust industry and to open space for further reflection and problematization of the Holocaust discourse in light of the warning that its current commodification and industrialization sends us.