Postmemory & the Holocaust:
A workshop exploring Postmemory

Postmemory, a term coined by Marianne Hirsch, describes the “memories” post-Holocaust generations inherit through stories, images, and behaviors they grew up with. These “memories”, which have been passed onto them, often unconsciously, through the generations carry on the traumas lived through by their parents and grandparents. 

In this intimate workshop, we will draw upon the work of Jewish and non-Jewish artists and writers of the Holocaust second and third generations to guide us in our conversations about our personal experiences with Postmemory. Beginning with Art Spiegelman’s Maus, we will follow the story of a second-generation survivor whose life was deeply impacted by the lived experiences of his survivor parents. 

Using such prompts, we will ask ourselves: How does Postmemory show itself in our lives? How might we encounter Postmemory, both personally and culturally, on a day-to-day basis? What did we learn about the Holocaust through our familial upbringing and the cultural cues and stories we inherited—and how does that shape our landscape, perspective and dialogues today?

While the focus of the workshop will center around Postmemory and the Holocaust, the workshop is open to discussions of all Postmemory experiences regardless of religious background/nationality/citizenship/place of birth/upbringing. All are welcome.

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“In her Postmemory & the Holocaust workshop, Tamara creates a safe space to reckon with complex questions about our responsibilities to the devastating legacy of the Third Reich, which lives on in radically different forms of postmemory.

Tamara invites us to think about how trauma is translated from one generation to another and how specific art, literature and memorials might give us new forms of understanding. I appreciate her intersectional approach, which encourages more nuanced ways to reflect on these painful pasts and reminds us of our moral responsibility to keep trying to work through it. Attending Tamara's workshop has been an enriching and transformative experience.”

— Nicola B.