The Bogdanow Lectures in Holocaust Studies

2017

Dr. Vicki Barnett, ‘The Church and the Holocaust’
Mon 30 and Tue 31 January 2017

Mon 30 Jan. Lecture 1. Unfinished Hero: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in History. 

Abstract: Dietrich Bonhoeffer is arguably the most well-known Christian “hero” of the Holocaust. Yet in the reception of him there has always been a gulf between Christians and Jews, as well as among theologians, Holocaust scholars, and historians. Dr. Barnett will give an overview of the reception history, including recent works that have sought to give a new portrait of Bonhoeffer, with a special focus on the issues of greatest historical contention: his attitudes toward Jews and his role in the German resistance.  She contends that in a very real sense Bonhoeffer remains an “unfinished” hero, and that post-Holocaust attempts to complete the picture may have obscured his true historical and theological significance. She will conclude with some observations about how and where “the historical Bonhoeffer” might be recovered.

Tue 31 Jan. Lecture 2. International Responses from Catholics, Jews and Protestants during the Holocaust. 

Abstract: With the exception of the debates about Pius XII, little scholarly attention has been given to the very diverse reactions among international religious leaders to the persecution and genocide of the European Jews. Dr. Barnett will discuss the very different, sometimes surprising, responses of religious leaders in Europe and North America, offering a close-up view of the central roles played by several fascinating individuals as well as an overview of the broader motives that shaped the actions of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish leaders and organizations. She will conclude with some observations about how their engagement laid the foundation for interfaith work after 1945.

Tue 31 Jan. Masterclass: The U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum: History, National Context, and the emergence of Holocaust Studies.

Abstract: Established through a congressional mandate in 1978, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened its doors in 1993. Since then it has received over 40 million visitors, including 99 heads of state and more than ten million school children. Dr. Barnett will discuss the Museum’s historical role amidst the changing face of Holocaust and genocide studies over the decades.

See the Church Times report on the event.

The two lectures in this series are also available as a YouTube playlist. See the events archive for previous Bogdanow Lectures.

 The Bogdanow Lectures Bequest

This new annual public lecture series has been made possible as a result of the generous bequest to the University by Fanni Bogdanow (1927-2013), a former Professor of French and Medieval Studies at Manchester and a child refugee on the Kindertransporte.

"Fanni Bogdanow was born in Düsseldorf, Germany. When she was 11, in 1939 and just in time, her parents loaded her on to a Kindertransport train bound for Britain. She was taken in by a Quaker family in Manchester to whom she remained very grateful. In 1945, she won a scholarship to study French at Manchester University; she was to stay at Manchester, as undergraduate, postgraduate, lecturer, reader and professor, for the rest of her life. Her parents, astonishingly, survived between them Dachau, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen; to Fanni's intense joy, her mother later joined her in Manchester..." [More from The Guardian]

Fanni Bogdanow's full life story interview was conducted in April 2002 by one of the Centre's former PhD students, Ros Livshin, and was archived at the Oral Testimony Archive of the Manchester Jewish Museum, a collection compiled under the supervison of the Centre's Bill Williams.

See also

Fanni Bogdanow, 'Anne Frank and the Holocaust' in Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester 88:1 (2006), 207-215.

Fanni Bogdanow, 'From Holocaust Survivor to Arthurian Scholar' in On Arthurian Women, edited by Bonnie Wheeler and Fiona Tolhurst (Dallas: Scriptorium Press, 2001), 387-394.

As part of her bequest to the University of Manchester, Prof. Fanny Bogdanow funded a number of student travel bursaries for educational visits to concentration camps. This year the Centre for Jewish Studies can allocate a number of awards of £400 each (based on an estimated cost of £230 for flights and £115 for hotel/tour, plus £55 contribution for food/other expenses). The expectation is that the visit would take place during the period 1 January - 30 June 2017.

Application: Please email Laura.Mitchell@manchester.ac.uk and outline in a couple of sentences your interest in the subject, and whether you are currently registered for a relevant course unit. (Depending upon demand, priority may be given to students registered on relevant course units). Please also confirm that you understand that you must provide receipts for all costs/expenses that will be reclaimed, and that you are prepared to write a 500 word report for publication. Deadline for application: 1 December, with an expectation of notification to successful applicants by 1 January 2017. Eligibility: Any undergraduate, post-graduate, or research student in SALC.