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The Importance Of Gender Theory During The Holocaust

Decent Essays

Gender theory is an effective framework to interpret Jewish deportation because it offers valuable insights into the subtle power relationships between Jews and their oppressors. In order to effectively use gender as a prism of analysis it is necessary to venture beyond descriptive usage of gender; Joan Scott’s characterisation of gender as an implicit way of signifying power provides a sophisticated avenue to explore this topic. When applying gender theory to Schindler’s List, scholars should modify their expectations in light of Zelizer’s critique that popular culture cannot mirror the Holocaust ‘as-it-happened’. To resolve some of these challenges researchers can ‘triangulate’ popular representations with photographs to ensure that their scholarship remains rooted in historical fact. Ultimately, provided that researchers are cognizant of the limitations inherent within both Schindler’s List and photographs, gender theory is a highly applicable intellectual backdrop to examine themes of power, masculinity, and authority during the Holocaust.

The most obvious and elementary instance in which gender analysis is relevant to the topic of Jewish deportation during the Holocaust is when gender is referenced explicitly. For example, the scene in Schindler’s List where female and male Jews are told to group on opposite sides of the street in preparation for transport to the Płaszów concentration camp is a clear invocation of gender to frame a depiction of deportation. However, in order for gender analysis to be constructive, it is necessary to also discuss the underlying power relations that gender subtly affects. Joan Scott addresses this concept directly when she asserts that ‘the implementation of Nazi policy in Germany’ was an example of power that was justified as ‘masculine’. Furthermore, Scott emphasises that oppressive actions against women by the state, such as the Holocaust, can ‘only be made sense of as part of an analysis of the construction and consolidation of power’. Using this broad framework of characterising gender as an essential element of power and politics, we can apply Scott’s theoretical structure to the Holocaust and glean insight that would otherwise be impossible to achieve under

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