Reminding, Retelling, and Re-Remembering: The Evolution of Staro Sajmište, Its Future, and the Marginalization of the Holocaust in Serbian Public Memory

Authors

Benjamin Somogyi, SIT Study AbroadFollow

Home Institution

Carleton College

Publication Date

Fall 2010

Program Name

Balkans: Post-Conflict Transformation in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia

Abstract

This research paper examines the evolution of Staro Sajmište, its future and the resultant marginalization of the Holocaust in Serbian public memory. Sajmište was the largest Nazi concentration camp in territory of the Republic of Serbia. After a brief overview the history of the Holocaust and the history of the site, this paper focuses on the political manipulation of Sajmište’s memory since the Second World War. The paper divides the evolution of Staro Sajmište in Serbian public memory into four phases: rewritten memory, reduced memory, fabricated memory, and erased memory. Through the analysis of Sajmište’s legacy in Serbian public memory, the marginalization of the Holocaust is analyzed. The paper concludes with a presentation of both official and unofficial proposals concerning the site’s future status.

Disciplines

Community Psychology | Place and Environment

Recommended Citation

Somogyi, Benjamin, "Reminding, Retelling, and Re-Remembering: The Evolution of Staro Sajmište, Its Future, and the Marginalization of the Holocaust in Serbian Public Memory" (2010). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 929.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/929