21ST CENTURY REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HOLOCAUST IN BRITAIN: AN EXAMINATION OF HOLOCAUST EXHIBITIONS AT THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON AND JEWISH MUSEUM LONDON

Abstract

The rise of antisemitism in Europe today is worrying and has resulted in historians questioning the effectiveness of Holocaust education in imparting lessons on racial discrimination. One method of public education that centres on the Holocaust is museum exhibitions. This thesis focuses on Britain whose Holocaust remembrance came about due to changes in the National Curriculum and its involvement in the EU and the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF). It evaluates two main Holocaust narratives found in the Holocaust Exhibition in the Imperial War Museum London and the Holocaust Gallery in the Jewish Museum London to discuss how Holocaust exhibitions became part of Britain's national and European self-presentation. This thesis suggests ways that Holocaust museums or exhibitions can be developed in the 21st century.